Sage Advisory Debuts First Impact Bond SMA Strategy

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a first-of-its-kind offering, Sage Advisory is debuting its Impact Bond Strategy as a separately managed account (SMA) featuring issuer-labeled green, social, and sustainability bonds?without any "greenwashing."

"For those investors who are looking to invest in a strategy that offers a double-bottom line of sustainability and performance, the Sage Impact Bond Strategy is the answer," Sage President and CIO Bob Smith said. "Not only is the strategy designed to deliver performance similar to that of conventional fixed-income strategies, but investors also get peace of mind knowing that their investment dollars are providing measurable impact."

Green bonds are typically focused on environmental challenges like carbon dioxide emissions or deforestation. Social bonds can be tied to specific issues, such as access to quality medical care or gender inequality. And sustainability bonds focus on a combination of social and environmental issues.

The issuance of these bonds reached $3.2 trillion in the first half of 2021 and is on track to exceed $11 trillion by 2025, according to Bloomberg. Andrew Poreda, Sage ESG Research Analyst, said the timing was right for Sage to make its Impact Bond SMA Strategy debut.

"We can offer this now because the market is more mature," he said. "And this is where Sage comes in as a separately managed account expert that can monitor and measure progress toward the stated sustainable goals."

The growth of green, social, and sustainability bonds will hinge on transparency, Poreda said: "Sage's stewardship of this SMA strategy will ensure transparency so 'greenwashing' does not occur. This should give investors confidence that their investments are making the direct impacts that they intended."

Poreda noted that while some companies may call their portfolios "impact" portfolios, fewer than half may actually be labeled green, social, or sustainability.

"We are going to be there, watching and calling a spade a spade," he said. "If a utility company says, 'We're going to issue a green bond' and then uses the proceeds for something else or doesn't follow through with what they said they were going to do, we're going to call that out. And eventually, that's not going be in our portfolio."

About Sage Advisory Services

Sage is an independent investment management firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, that serves the institutional and private client marketplace with traditional fixed-income asset management, ESG-integrated portfolios, global tactical ETF strategies, and liability-driven investment solutions. As of June 2021, Sage manages and advises over $16.5 billion in client assets. For more information, visit sageadvisory.com.

SOURCE Sage Advisory Services