Alongside the usual environmental, social and governance topics, the members of the Ethos Engagement Pools (EEP) approved the launch of an engagement campaign to promote nature and biodiversity in 2026. Meeting yesterday in Bern, the members of the EEP Switzerland and International also had the opportunity to listen to and exchange views with Ton Büchner, Chairman of Swiss Prime Site and Burckhardt Compression.
As they do every year, members of the Swiss and International Ethos Engagement Pool (EEP) met on Thursday to define the main environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics that will be addressed with listed companies in Switzerland and abroad next year in order to encourage them to improve their practices. The meeting also provided an opportunity to review the activities and dialogue campaigns carried out in 2025.
With regard to engagement activities in 2026, EEP members decided to renew the main dialogue themes for an additional year. The size and composition of boards of directors, variable remuneration, corporate tax and digital responsibility, climate change, health and safety at work, diversity and equal pay, and respect for human rights in supply chains will all be topics discussed with listed companies in Switzerland and abroad.
In addition, a new engagement campaign on the theme of nature and biodiversity will be launched in early 2026. Based on the Engagement Paper published in October by Ethos, it will target companies in the agri-food, pharmaceutical, chemical and construction materials sectors. The campaign aims to encourage these companies to better integrate nature-related issues into their strategy, reduce their direct impact on biodiversity, implement sustainable management of their resources and supply chains, and demonstrate greater transparency in their non-financial reporting.
Distinguished speakers
As every year, EEP members also had the opportunity to hear a representative of the board of directors of a Swiss-listed company present their vision of shareholder dialogue and to engage in discussion with them. This year, Ton Büchner, Chairman of Swiss Prime Site and Burckhardt Compression and member of the board of Novartis, took part in the exercise. He shared his experience at the helm of two Swiss mid-cap companies, both recognised as leading players in sustainable development.
Later, Laure Philippon, the head of the Investor Engagement team at Share Action, a long-standing partner of Ethos and EEP International, presented the dialogue activities carried out by the British NGO, particularly during the annual general meeting season. She also shared her vision of engagement and active shareholding in light of current challenges.
EEP Switzerland was established in 2004 to conduct ongoing and constructive dialogue with the 150 largest listed companies in Switzerland on ESG issues, most often directly with their executives. It currently has 196 members, mainly Swiss pension funds, representing more than CHF 410 billion in assets under management.
EEP International was launched in 2017 to engage in dialogue with international companies. This dialogue most often takes the form of participation in engagement campaigns that bring together institutional investors from around the world. It currently has 123 members representing over CHF 320 billion in assets under management.
