Russell Investments expands range of sustainable managed portfolios

Russell Investments has unveiled an expansion to its sustainable managed portfolios range in response to increasing demand for sustainable investment solutions.

Conservative, diversified 50 and high growth options have now been added to the Russell Investments’ sustainable managed portfolio suite, mirroring the firm’s core multi-asset offering.

According to Russell Investments, these three new options will allow advisers to align with the sustainability values of clients with differing levels of risk appetite while simultaneously benefiting from the advantages of a managed account structure.

“Demand for sustainable investment solutions continues to grow among advisers and their clients,” commented Russell Investments head of adviser and intermediary solutions Neil Rogan.

“By broadening the investment options available through our sustainable managed portfolios, Russell Investments is catering to those investors and advisers who wish to invest according to their values.”

The firm said the options provide retail and wholesale investors with access to some of the world’s leading investment managers and strategies seeking a positive sustainable outcome.

The sustainable managed portfolios aim to target lower carbon emissions and enhanced ESG outcomes against a relevant benchmark, blending exposures to listed securities, managed funds, and ETFs with the goal of delivering both investment and sustainability objectives.

Russell Investments indicated that the sustainable managed portfolios are accessible through multiple investment platforms. Its core range of multi-asset managed portfolios will also be made available through other platforms later in the year.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates Russell Investments’ commitment to offering investors broad responsible investing solutions,” the firm suggested.

These include the Russell Investments Australian Responsible Investment ETF (RARI), which has grown to total net assets of more than $313 million since it was established in 2015.

Additionally, Russell Investments has been a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment since 2009 and manages more than $55 billion in ESG assets globally.

The firm also signalled that it is planning to expand its sustainable investing offering across a broad range of product categories this year including ETFs.

The launch of the Russell Investments sustainable managed portfolios was originally announced in May last year. At the time, Mr Rogan said the new range was a “significant development" for advisers working with client portfolios.

Jon Bragg

Jon Bragg is a journalist for Momentum Media's Investor Daily, nestegg and ifa. He enjoys writing about a wide variety of financial topics and issues and exploring the many implications they have on all aspects of life.