Robeco updates its Climate & Nature Transition Plan 2025-2030: Staying on course, guided by science

The Dutch asset manager is expanding its decarbonization roadmap to 60% of its assets and focusing on real impact, integrating climate and nature into its investment strategy.

Robeco has published the updated version of its Climate & Nature Transition Plan 2025-2030 , the document that defines the strategy to support the transition to a low-emission, nature-positive economy. Building on the original 2021 roadmap, the update takes into account lessons learned , the evolving global context , and Robeco's commitment to strengthening the real impact of its investments.

“Despite geopolitical shifts and growing regional differences, Robeco remains firmly guided by climate science. The science hasn't changed, so our course remains clear,” said Anton Eser , Robeco's Chief Investment Officer. “We believe the transition to a low-carbon economy is essential for long-term performance and the preservation of economic, environmental, and social capital.”

Since the launch of the roadmap in 2021, Robeco has achieved concrete results:

• 44% portfolio decarbonisation , including upstream Scope 3 emissions;
• €139 billion in client assets aligned with relevant climate objectives, compared to €76 billion in 2020;
• A climate stewardship program involving 100 companies and over 300 general meetings.

Robeco recognizes that a significant portion of the decarbonization achieved so far comes from portfolio transactions rather than actual emissions reductions in the real economy. The new phase of the roadmap therefore aims to actively finance emissions reductions by investing more in companies that:

• are concretely transforming their business model towards low emissions, or
• They facilitate the transition of other sectors through innovations and technological solutions.

At the heart of this strategy is Robeco Climate Traffic Light , a proprietary tool that evaluates companies based on their progress in the transition. Since 2019, the share of assets in high-emitting sectors held by transition leaders has risen from 50% to 59%, exceeding the market average (52%). By 2030, Robeco aims to increase the share of leaders and solution providers by a further 5% , thus supporting tangible real-world change.

“It's not just about managing metrics, but about enabling change ,” explains Lucian Peppelenbos , Climate & Biodiversity Strategist at Robeco. “Investing in companies committed to a genuine transition means contributing to climate change mitigation and nature restoration, but also seizing concrete growth opportunities: our analyses show that these companies tend to perform better over the long term.”

The updated strategy continues to be based on three pillars – decarbonisation, influence and collaboration – but introduces three main measures:

1. Expanded scope: The roadmap now covers 60% of client assets, including mandates and indices with relevant climate objectives, up from 43% previously.
2. Improving the quality of decarbonization: Robeco maintains its target of reducing its carbon footprint by 50% by 2030, with a greater focus on real impact. Its proprietary Climate Traffic Light tool will support investments in transition leaders and solution providers.
3. Integrated stewardship with climate and nature: Robeco now intends to combine climate and biodiversity engagement. It has identified the companies with the highest impacts in terms of emissions, water consumption, hazardous waste, and deforestation, which together account for approximately 40% of Robeco's carbon and biodiversity footprint. Engagement and voting will prioritize laggard companies identified through Robeco's biodiversity and climate traffic light system.

With this updated roadmap, Robeco reaffirms its position in sustainable investing: a science-based, impact-driven and transparent approach that integrates climate objectives and nature conservation at the heart of investment decisions.