UBS, Innovest Team Up to Address Environmental/Sustainability Issues

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UBS, Innovest Team Up to Address Environmental/Sustainability Issues

NEW YORK,, NEW YORK, Mar. 15 -/E-Wire/-- Innovest Strategic Value Advisors Inc. and UBS Investment Bank, the investment-banking arm of financial service giant, UBS AG, announced today that Innovest will be the research provider for the integration of environmental and sustainability criteria in the bank's overall assessment of investment risk and opportunity.

ADVERTISEMENT Innovest, the global leader in analyzing non-traditional sources of investment risk, will make the research available through a uniquely designed dedicated website available to UBS divisions and executives around the world.

This new, high-level program is part of a broader effort by the UBS Investment Bank to drive an awareness of this new generation of investment risk -- and potential competitive advantage -- throughout the organization. There is a growing body of empirical evidence that companies with the ability to manage environmental and sustainability-driven risks and opportunities better than their industry peers tend to out-perform them financially as well. What is more, tightening environmental regulations, tougher corporate disclosure requirements, and growing concern from both institutional investors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seem certain to increase the "sustainability risk/opportunity premium" even further over the next 12-18 months.

"As a financial institution, UBS Investment Bank feels it is important to consider the downstream effect of our lending and investing activities on the environment, the rights of workers, communities and indigenous people. The bank views this global site license as an important due diligence tool which will improve our ability to identify, analyze and manage environmental and social risk," states Joel Forbes, Global Head, Environmental Risk Management at UBS Investment Bank.

"To the best of my knowledge, UBS's initiative is the most ambitious and comprehensive program of its kind in the world," said Dr. Matthew Kiernan, Chief Executive of Innovest. "Given the rapidly growing global importance of environmental, social, and governance issues to both corporate and institutional investors, this should give UBS a significant leg up on their competitors."

Innovest Strategic Value Advisors is an internationally recognized, independent research firm specializing in non-traditional sources of investment risk and out performance, including companies' performance on governance, environmental, and social issues. Innovest's clients include leading institutional investors throughout the world. Founded in 1995 by Dr. Matthew Kiernan, Innovest has offices in New York, London, Paris and Toronto. The company is chaired by Jim Martin, former Chief Investment Officer for North America's largest pension fund, TIAA-CREF. ABP, Europe's largest pension fund and one of the largest and most highly respected in the world, is a strategic minority investor in Innovest.

UBS is a leading financial firm, combining financial strength with a reputation for innovation and a global culture that embraces change. As one of the world's largest wealth managers, UBS is a premier investment banking and securities firm and one of the largest global asset managers.

Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, UBS is a market leader in retail and commercial banking and employs around 66,000 people in operations in over 50 countries and in all major financial centers.

Innovest Strategic Value Advisors Inc.

Innovest Strategic Value Advisors Inc Peter Wilkes, [REDACTED-PHONE] X. 216

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