Specialist asset management boutique, Amati Global Investors, announced today that it has selected ‘Digbee’, an ESG disclosure platform dedicated to the mining sector, as a preferred ESG accreditation solution for the £90m TB Amati Strategic Metals Fund. The pioneering Amati fund, which celebrated its second anniversary just last week (15th March), offers investors exposure both to precious metals as a store of value, and to the metals powering global efforts around decarbonization.

The Fund’s managers – Georges Lequime and Mark Smith – boast a rare combination of technical expertise in global mining practice, and investment, this informing their portfolio construction and the way in which they have managed asset allocation through this period of energy transition.

“Decarbonising the global energy supply and transportation network will be highly metal intensive”, says Smith. “To achieve net zero by 2050 could require as much as US$10 trillion of metal for renewable energy systems, battery storage and electrification. This is the ‘green paradox’ and investment opportunity – you simply can’t have decarbonization without mining. Metal demand annuity will be long lived, and resource investing should become a mainstream sector. ESG, together with a common standard to assess companies, will be of paramount importance in the investment analysis process going forward.

“The mining community has been adopting various ESG parameters for decades in the form of Community Social Relations (‘CSR’). Without a social license to operate, there will be no business. We need the mining community to have a louder voice if they are to showcase their achievements. Digbee provides the integrity and analysis needed to start a conversation – that mining is needed for ESG and to deliver net zero. Digbee provides a measure whereby mining companies can be ranked according to their ESG efforts, and investors can assess the merits of those achievements.”

Jamie Strauss, CEO at Digbee is delighted with the Amati partnership. He said, “Digbee is honoured to have been chosen as a preferred ESG accreditation solution for Amati’s Strategic Metals Fund. With ESG becoming an ever more important part of investment managers' due diligence and valuation assessment, there is an increasing need to be able to access regular, transparent, trusted data – presented in a manner that is efficient and easy to monitor. The collaboration with Amati will further support Digbee's mission of "#makeminingbetter", encourage further positive impact throughout the sector, and contribute significantly in improving the quality and efficiency of ESG analysis."

Issued and approved by Amati Global Investors Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (reference number 198024) and registered in Scotland (company number SC199908). Registered address: 8 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh, EH3 7AL.