Overview
Announcements

Methodology Changes | Solactive USS Developed Markets Climate Tilted  Indices | Effective Date 2024-10-09

 

Today, on 2024-10-09, Solactive announces the following changes to the Methodology and Names of the following index/Indices (the ‘Affected Index/Indices’):

ISIN

RIC

Old Name

New Name

Description of changes

DE000SL0FAM8

.SOLUCTBE

Solactive USS Developed Markets Climate Transition Benchmark Hedged to GBP TR

Solactive USS Developed Markets Climate Tilted Index Hedged to GBP TR

Index Name change

DE000SL0EV78

.SOLUCTBP

Solactive USS Developed Markets Climate Transition Benchmark PR

Solactive USS Developed Markets Climate Tilted Index PR

Index Name change and Methodology changes listed below

DE000SL0EV86

.SOLUCTBN

Solactive USS Developed Markets Climate Transition Benchmark NTR

Solactive USS Developed Markets Climate Tilted Index NTR

Index Name change and Methodology changes listed below

DE000SL0EV94

.SOLUCTBT

Solactive USS Developed Markets Climate Transition Benchmark TR

Solactive USS Developed Markets Climate Tilted Index TR

Index Name change and Methodology changes listed below

 

Summary of the Index Methodology Changes

The changes can be summarized as follows:

  • Removal of the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals)-based ESG exclusions.
  • Removal of the norm-based exclusions.
  • Amendment of the controversial weapons exclusion: keep anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions and prohibited white phosphorus weapons only.
  • Amendment of the optimization objective to target a closer sector-level alignment with broad market cap.
  • Reducing the floor on minimum stock weight from 0.01% to 0.001%.
  • Reducing the maximum sector deviation from +/-3% to +/-2%.
  • Amendment of the Russian exclusion to include Russia as Country of Risk.

Changes to the Index Guideline

Section 2.2. of the OLD Methodology: 

Theme

Topic

Exclusion criterion

Norm-Based Research

Environment

Verified failure to respect established norms as well as severe or very severe controversies

Human Rights

Corruption

Labour Rights

Controversial Weapons Research

Chemical weapons

Verified or alleged ongoing involvement

Biological weapons

Nuclear weapons

Depleted Uranium

Nuclear weapons outside the NPT

Cluster munitions

Anti-personnel mines

Activity-Based Screening

Tobacco Cultivation & Production

> 0%

Thermal Coal Mining

> 25%

Environmental Objectives

Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Significant Negative Impact, i.e. single SDG Impact Rating of ≤ -5.1

Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action

Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water

Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land

  breached

Section 2.2. of the NEW Methodology:

Theme

Topic

Exclusion criterion

Controversial Weapons Research

White Phosphorus weapons

 

Verified or alleged ongoing involvement

Cluster munitions

Anti-personnel mines

Activity-Based Screening

Tobacco Cultivation & Production

> 0%

Thermal Coal Mining

> 25%

Explanation: % figures refer to revenue threshold (for degree of involvement) above which criterion is breached

Section 2.3.2 of the OLD Methodology: 

Each Index Component is assigned a weight in line with the requirements for EU Climate Transition Benchmarks. I.e., an optimization is applied that minimizes the cumulative absolute weight deviation from the Parent Index, subject to the following constraints:

b. Maximum absolute weight deviation from the weight in the Parent Index of 0.50%. Individual Weights are capped at the maximum of 5% and the weight in the Parent Index and floored at 0.01%.

c. Compared to the Parent Index, absolute deviation of the sector weights is capped at 3%. If the cumulative maximum possible weight, as detailed in step 2.b., of all Index Components in a sector is less than what is required to achieve this sector weight constraint, the cumulative maximum possible weight of all Index Components is set as the minimum sector weight for this sector.

Section 2.3.2 of the NEW Methodology: 

Each Index Component is assigned a weight that minimizes the cumulative absolute weight deviation as well as the absolute sector deviation from the Parent Index on each Selection Day, subject to the following constraints:

b. Maximum absolute weight deviation from the weight in the Parent Index of 0.50%. Individual Weights are capped at the maximum of 5% and the weight in the Parent Index and floored at 0.001%.

c. Compared to the Parent Index, absolute deviation of the sector weights is capped at 2%. If the cumulative maximum possible weight, as detailed in step 2.b., of all Index Components in a sector is less than what is required to achieve this sector weight constraint, the cumulative maximum possible weight of all Index Components is set as the minimum sector weight for this sector.

Section 6 of the OLD Methodology: 

“Rebalance Day” is the close of the first Wednesday in February and August. If that day is not an Eligible Rebalance Day, the Rebalance Day will be the following Eligible Rebalance Day.

Section 6 of the NEW Methodology: 

“Rebalance Day” is the close of the first Wednesday in May and November. If that day is not an Eligible Rebalance Day, the Rebalance Day will be the following Eligible Rebalance Day.