Winterthur launches F&C Stewardship Income fund and Jupiter Ecology fund

Winterthur Life announces the launch of the Winterthur F&C Stewardship Income fund and the Winterthur Jupiter Ecology fund.

These two new ethical funds complement the existing range of funds available through the company's Tailored Selection range of investment funds on both individual and life products.

The F&C Stewardship Income fund offers a core UK Equity product with a robust screening of investments on both negative and positive ethical environment criteria. It appeals to most ethical investors but not at the expense of investment performance. In contrast, the Jupiter Ecology fund employs a positive investment approach, seeking specific global environmental investments which offer solutions to environmental problems.

Winterthur F&C Stewardship Income fund:

Aims to deliver strong income with capital growth through investment in UK companies considered to be of long-term benefit to society

Achieved first quartile growth of 97.43% over 5 years, compared to 65.50% for the IMA UK Equity Income Sector average

An independent Committee of Reference supported by research from F&C's Governance & Sustainable Investment team determines the universe of stocks that meet the fund's green ethical principles

All companies held in the fund are actively engaged with social, environmental and ethical issues.

A bias towards medium and smaller companies due to the ethical exclusion of some large FTSE 100 stocks means a greater prospect of discovering interesting and undervalued stocks

Employs a barbell management approach, allowing for appropriate risk balance while meeting the fund's income objective and seeking to generate capital growth

The fund has an annual management charge of 1.15% and fund expenses of 0.15%.

Winterthur Jupiter Ecology fund:

Aims to deliver long-term performance through investing in companies principally in the UK

80-85% is invested according to six positive thematic categories: green transport, clean energy, environmental services, sustainable living, waste management and water management

Achieved first quartile ranking over 3 months, 1 year and 3 years cumulative performance

Twin-track approach combines the expertise of the specialist Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Fund Management team and the SRI & Governance Team

The fund currently has an annual management charge of 1.25% and fund expenses of 0.25%.

Bernard Henshall, investment distribution manager, commented: "These two funds have been added to the Tailored Selection platform to meet adviser demand for ethical funds. They have distinct and separate mandates and therefore offer a different yet complementary choice to investors. These funds were selected due to their strong investment track records and consistency in outperforming their sector averages. The funds demonstrate that ethical investing need not require a compromise on performance."

Ted Scott, head of Stewardship Funds F&C, said: "Investment priorities are changing, investors are not only looking at investment returns but also what companies do with the money they invest. We are delighted Winterthur has added our fund to its Tailored Selection platform and we look forward to working together."

Emma Howard Boyd, head of socially responsible investment at Jupiter, added: "We are very pleased to be working with Winterthur and believe their pensions expertise combined with our green investment experience will enable us to provide advisers with the best possible investment option."