Sustainability at the HQ financial service providers
1.1. Preamble
1.2. Commitment
1.3. Sustainability as part of the corporate strategy
1.4. Initiatives
1.5. ESG websites of HQ companies
1.1. Preamble
Harald Quandt’s specialized financial services providers, HQ Capital and HQ Trust are all united under the umbrella of the HQ Holding. For four decades, our financial service providers have been supporting institutional and semi-institutional investors, foundations, families, and private individuals in managing and protecting their assets. All HQ firms draw on decades of experience and expertise in advising and managing liquid and illiquid assets. We are always aware of our special responsibility towards our clients and employees as well as towards society.
For us, thinking and acting sustainably is not a trend, but part of our core competence and identity. We consider sustainability not as a fixed condition, rather a dynamical, ever-evolving effort guided by social and economic development. We are convinced that we will be able to continue on this path of sustainability together successfully and professionally with our customers in the future.
1.2. Commitment
We always act in the interests of our clients and strive to meet their specific needs and expectations. Our aim is to manage assets responsibly and in line with individual needs.
To bring this claim to live, we strive to continually develop further. This includes, among other things, the gradual inclusion of ESG (i.e., environmental, social, government) standards. We are convinced that taking ESG-standards into account can help reduce risks in the investment process and improve the quality of our investment decisions in the long term.
The United Nations (UN) has formulated 17 "Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs). These goals are intended to ensure sustainable development worldwide at the economic, social, and ecological levels. The SDGs were formulated in line with the development process of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and came into force on January 1, 2016, with a term of 15 years (until 2030). Unlike the MDGs, which applied in particular to developing countries, the SDGs apply to all countries. Together with our financial services providers we have set ourselves the goal of developing and optimizing five of the 17 SDGs in our corporate strategy:
- SDG 3 - Health and well-being,
- SDG 4 - Quality education,
- SDG 5 - Gender equality,
- SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth,
- SDG 13 - Climate action.
1.3. Sustainability as part of the corporate strategy
Managing assets successfully requires commitment and experience - the same qualities that are also crucial for managing a company. For the financial services providers under the umbrella of HQ Holding, sustainable corporate management means acting in a way that is geared towards the long-term success of the company while equally considering environmentally friendly, social, and ethical requirements. The conservation of natural resources and sustainable environmental management are just as important as the reduction of the company's carbon footprint.
In keeping with the entrepreneurial spirit of the Harald Quandt family, we are committed to serving the interests of our clients. Our independence is the foundation for serving our clients transparently, collaboratively, and permanently. We consistently avoid conflicts of interest. In our services, we pursue a holistic, transparent, and comprehensible approach that includes sustainability issues (ESG).
The success of our financial services providers is based first and foremost on the performance of their employees. That is why we ensure employee satisfaction and health, we offer our staff professional growth prospects and promote self-initiative and individual development. We support each individual employee in reconciling professional and family requirements, e.g., by offering flexible arrangements for working hours, place of work and parental leave. By supporting social projects in various areas of life, we make valuable contributions to social cohesion.
1.4. Initiatives
Our financial services providers are signatories to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), reflecting the increasing importance of environmental, social and governance issues.
The Principles for Responsible Investment is a UN financial initiative founded in 2006 by an international group of institutional investors. By signing the Principles, our financial services providers commit to incorporating environmental, social and governance sustainability considerations into their analyses and decision-making processes, reporting on them regularly and promoting their acceptance and implementation in the investment industry.
Specifically, by signing the PRI, our financial services leaders have committed to:
...... incorporating ESG issues into their investment analysis and decision-making processes;
... being active shareholders and consider ESG issues in their shareholder policies and practices;
... encouraging companies and entities in which they invest to make appropriate disclosure on ESG issues,
... promoting the uptake and implementation of the Principles in the investment industry,
...working together to increase their effectiveness in implementing the Principles,
... reporting on their activities and progress in implementing the Principles.
1.5 ESG websites of HQ companies
HQ Capital
HQ Trust
Stand: September 2021