Today, Robeco publishes its updated Climate and Nature Transition Plan 2025–2030, marking a next step in supporting society’s transition toward a low-carbon and nature-positive economy. Building on the original roadmap published in 2021, this update reflects the lessons learned, the evolving global context, and Robeco’s unwavering commitment to science-based investing.
Anton Eser, Chief Investment Officer at Robeco:
“Despite geopolitical shifts and growing regional differences, Robeco remains firmly committed to the direction set by climate science. The science hasn’t changed, so our course remains clear. We believe the low-carbon transition is essential for long-term investment performance and for safeguarding economic, environmental, and social assets.”
Key achievements to date
- 44% portfolio decarbonization achieved, now including Scope 3 upstream emissions.
- €139 billion in client assets with material climate objectives, up from €76 billion in 2020.
- A robust climate stewardship program engaging 100 companies and voting at 300 AGMs.
Raising the bar: From portfolio shifts to real-world impact
While Robeco has made strong progress in reducing its portfolio carbon footprint, a key challenge remains: much of this decarbonization has come from portfolio transactions rather than actual emission reductions by investee companies. In other words, we’ve reduced our financed emissions — but the real economy hasn’t decarbonized at the same pace. In the next phase of our roadmap, we are shifting focus from simply reducing financed emissions to actively financing the reduction of emissions. This means investing more in companies that are genuinely transitioning to low-carbon business models or enabling others to do so — what we call climate transition leaders and solution providers. Robeco’s proprietary Climate Traffic Light tool plays a central role in identifying these companies. Since 2019, the share of Robeco’s client assets in high-emission sectors held by companies leading the transition has grown from 50% to 59%. This puts Robeco ahead of the benchmark (52%) and shows the company is making strong progress toward aligning with the Paris Agreement. By 2030, Robeco aims to grow the share of transition leaders and solution providers by another 5%, further supporting real-world change.
Lucian Peppelenbos, Climate & Biodiversity Strategist at Robeco:
“This strategic pivot marks a critical evolution in our approach: we’re moving beyond managing carbon metrics toward purposefully enabling meaningful climate progress. By investing in companies that are undergoing genuine transition, we aim to contribute to real-world climate mitigation and nature restoration. Above all, it is smart investing: our research shows that these companies outperform the laggards in their sector.”
What’s new in the 2025–2030 roadmap
Robeco’s strategy continues to rest on three pillars: decarbonizing its activities, leveraging investor influence, and working with clients and industry peers. The updated plan introduces three major steps:
- Expanded scope: The roadmap now covers 60% of client assets, including mandates and indices with material climate objectives, up from 43% previously.
- Improved quality of decarbonization: Robeco maintains its target of 50% carbon footprint reduction by 2030, with a stronger focus on real-world impact. The proprietary Climate Traffic Light tool will support investments toward transition leaders and solution providers.
- Integrated climate and nature stewardship: Robeco will now combine climate and biodiversity engagement. It has identified companies with the highest impact on emissions, water use, hazardous waste, and deforestation—together responsible for around 40% of Robeco’s carbon and biodiversity footprints. Engagement and voting will prioritize laggards identified through Robeco’s Biodiversity and Climate Traffic Lights.
The firm emphasises collaboration, innovation, and transparency to help clients navigate the multi-speed transition across regions.
