Responsible investment in Belgium

Résumé En

This chapter provides insights into the field of responsible investment (RI) in Belgium in terms of practices, products, actors and the regulatory environment. It describes the development of the field from its emergence to 2013. RI in Belgium started in the early 1990s under the impulse of non-governmental organizations and highly motivated financial institutions. After a few years of slow increase, the movement took off in the early 2000s to become very dynamic and innovative. Belgium has pioneered several innovations in RI, such as labels, laws, and a quality standard. RI is essentially supply-driven with a limited number of banks promoting and contributing to the mainstreaming of RI.In terms of practices, RI in Belgium consists mostly of collective investment products but also shows a very active involvement in saving products. It is predominantly based on a positive and dynamic approach where positive screens are favored and concepts of awarding improvements based on best-in-class methodologies are promoted.