Corporates #StepUp Climate Action in this new report from the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP)
CDP is a not-for-profit that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts.
ESG investing has gained considerable traction over the past few years and, alongside smart beta, factor investing and alternative risk premia, is one of the current hot topics for the asset management industry.
Nevertheless, even though large institutions such as insurance companies, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds have invested significantly in ESG strategies over recent years and we are observing a substantial and increasing interest from other investors such as wealth management or retail investors, the question of performance remains a controversial issue and a puzzle for the financial community.
Presentation of the exclusive results of the North Americas portion of the RI/UBS pension fund survey by Dennis Fritsch, PhD, Researcher, Responsible Investor.
(more info about RI Americas).
As stakeholders from around the world gather in Geneva for the 2018 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, a new Vigeo Eiris study of 4,585 companies headquartered in 60 countries reveals very limited overall progress in the way business is fulfilling its human rights obligations.
Download the Key Findings from the Vigeo Eiris website or click the PDF Report link on the right.
This new Vigeo Eiris report analysing 11 supranational development banks finds frequent & severe controversies within the sector, despite its’ advanced sustainability commitments. The report provides Vigeo Eiris’ exclusive opinion on sector vulnerabilities, controversies and emerging risks, as well as strengths, innovations and best practice in terms of CSR. The report highlights sector ESG challenges and emerging issues, as well as performance scores and advanced indicators on critical issues such as energy transition, business ethics, human capital and human rights, governance, executive remuneration, transparency on taxes and integrity of lobbying practices.
Download the key findings from the Vigeo Eiris website or click the PDF Report link on the right.
FTSE Russell’s Stewardship, Transition and Engagement Program for Change (“STEP Change”) is about helping drive better global standards in sustainable investment. As a firm, we work with corporates, NGOs and investors to improve disclosure and foster transparency for the long-term benefit of the market and ultimately the societies we all operate within.
Download the PDF from the FTSE Russell website or click the PDF Report link on the right.
In this new Vigeo Eiris report, the Industrial Goods & Services Sector displays a weak energy transition score & high business ethics risks. A modest improvement in companies’ management of human rights issues is also observed, despite this being an ongoing challenge.
With sustainability high on investors’ agendas, many portfolio managers now rely on metrics such as Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings to make investment decisions. A new report from Barclays Research offers data-driven evidence that ESG investing can yield positive returns in credit markets. The new study explores the relationship between ESG and credit portfolio performance in the US dollar and euro investment grade credit markets, as well as the USD high yield credit market. The study found that favouring bond issuers with high ESG ratings can generate positive returns across markets, geographies and sectors.
Access the report on Barclays Investment Bank’s website
The rising trend among institutional asset owners to invest in assets that not only generate a financial return, but also make a tangible impact to our society, has brought impact investment firmly into the spotlight over recent years.
Investors need to consider the investment priorities, impact goals and assets of any impact investment strategy, as well as the skill and experience of the asset manager. What does it define as impact and how do the investments achieve this?
Understanding what comprises the universe of investable assets and whether the investment approach offers sufficient scope to diversify portfolios, can help investors determine which strategy can help them meet their long-term goals.
This paper discusses the sustainable finance taxonomy initially with a focus on the climate dimension of sustainability, the concept of sustainable finance is significantly wider, comprising besides environmental also the social and governance dimensions of finance.