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S000054499 [Member] Investment Strategy - FlexShares STOXX Global ESG Select Index Fund
Oct. 31, 2025
Prospectus [Line Items]  
Strategy [Heading] Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]
The Underlying Index is designed to reflect the performance of a selection of companies that, in aggregate, score better with respect to a set of environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) key performance indicators (“KPIs”) relative to the STOXX® Global 1800 Index (the “Parent Index”), a float-adjusted market-capitalization weighted index of companies incorporated in the U.S. and in developed international markets. The Underlying Index seeks to display enhanced ESG and risk-return characteristics relative to the Parent Index by featuring ESG-related KPIs, as determined by STOXX Ltd. (the “Index Provider”).
To derive the Underlying Index, the Index Provider eliminates companies that are non-compliant based on Sustainalytics Global Standards Screening assessment or have certain levels of involvement with the following products, services, or industries: (i) controversial weapons, (ii) small arms, (iii) military contracting, (iv) unconventional oil & gas, (v) thermal coal, (vi) tobacco, and (vii) private prisons. The Index Provider also eliminates companies based on customer incidents controversy ratings. For each remaining company, the KPIs are determined and standardized by industry, and an aggregate ESG score is calcu
lated. The companies with an ESG score lower than the median ESG score within each industry are then dropped from the Underlying Index. The weights of the remaining constituents are then adjusted so that higher scoring ESG companies are assigned greater weights compared to the Parent Index. Component weightings may also be adjusted to ensure that the weight representation of each country in the Underlying Index does not vary from that in the STOXX® Global 1800 Index by more than +/-1 percentage point and that the weight of a single company is limited to 5% at the time of each index rebalancing or reconstitution. As of December 31, 2025, the Underlying Index consisted of 856 companies with market capitalizations ranging from $1.9 billion to $4.5 trillion. The Underlying Index is reviewed on a quarterly basis. The Fund generally reconstitutes or rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index.
NTI uses a “passive” or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.
NTI uses a representative sampling strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities that are included in the Underlying Index. The Fund reserves the right to invest in substantially all of the securities in its Underlying Index in approximately the same proportions (i.e., replication) if NTI determines that it is in the best interest of the Fund.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in the securities of the Underlying Index and in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) (collectively “Depositary Receipts”) based on the securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its assets in cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by NTI or its affiliates, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and forward currency contracts, as well as securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which NTI believes will help the Fund track its Underlying Index. The Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts in order to facilitate local
settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with their distributions to shareholders. The Fund does not expect to engage in currency transactions for speculative purposes or for purposes of hedging against declines in the value of its assets that are denominated in a foreign currency.
The Underlying Index is sponsored by the Index Provider, an organization that is independent of the Fund and NTI. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund’s total assets (including the value of the collateral received).
From time to time the Fund may focus its investments (i.e., invest more than 15% of its total assets) in one or more particular countries or geographic regions. As of December 31, 2025, the Fund focused its investments in the U.S.
Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. As of December 31, 2025, the Underlying Index was concentrated in the Information Technology sector. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries or sectors, may change over time.
Strategy Portfolio Concentration [Text] Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. As of December 31, 2025, the Underlying Index was concentrated in the Information Technology sector. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries or sectors, may change over time.