At the dawn of a new decade, environmental and social governance (ESG) investing and sustainable finance are no longer niche topics for environmentally conscious investors. They have become mainstream concerns centering on profitability, risk reduction, human capital development, diversity – and creating more sustainable investing strategies.
The Blended Finance Taskforce has just open-sourced some of the most promising business models and financial innovations, all aimed at transforming the world’s food and land use systems. But its director Katherine Stodulka tells us why, right now, more innovation isn’t the biggest missing ingredient…
The Responsible Lobbying Framework was developed initially to allow a group of Civil Society Organisations to hold accountable their corporate partners during a dialogue process. The specific terms of that dialogue remain confidential, but all parties agreed that the Framework should have a wider use and provided a valuable tool to increase transparency and accountability.The Framework can be used both as a set of globally applicable principles and standards, outlining what responsible lobbying would look like, and as an evaluation tool of a specific organisation’s lobbying activities.
We have an obligation to understand the sustainability of the companies in which we invest. Find out how we put this into practice and more by viewing our ESG Annual Report highlights.
Our economy needs a radical overhaul. The current crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is only the most recent proof that we need to redesign and rebuild our economy to make it more resilient, inclusive and sustainable.Invest with impactAs an investor you play an important role in the transition to a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Download our latest vision paper and find out how you can contribute. We have been active as an impact investor for more than 30 years, investing in positive change. Join us and download our paper now.This paper offers you:new insights in impact investment strategies and instrumentshow investment strategies can contribute to radical changea detailed look at the different trends that determine the post-COVID investment landscapean analysis of the immediate consequences of the crisis, and its longer-term and structural effectsan analysis of the post-COVID investment landscape
The unconventional methods involved in the extraction and production of Canadian oil sands, as well as the unique geographical position of oil sands deposits, trigger important environmental and social challenges reaching far beyond Canada’s borders (page 9, “ESG Challenges”). These operations also carry financial risk. On average, oil sands operations are more capital-intensive and involve higher production costs compared to other types of fuel, with historical pipeline capacity constraints further weighing on oil sands economics (page 12, “Economic Challenges”). As a result, oil sands operations are on a collision course with the goals of the Paris Agreement...
Integrating ESG Holistically In Private Equity: A Strategic Approach builds on a previous publication, SASB and Private Markets, to demonstrate how investors can leverage SASB Standards as a foundational cornerstone in building a ESG strategy for private equity. The paper describes and demystifies the interconnected ESG ecosystem, offers practical insights for the various stages of the investment process through a GP lens, and includes case studies from Generation Investment Management and Partners Group.
The common ground paper focuses on the assessment and disclosure of negative impacts,
avoided negative impacts and positive impacts on biodiversity resulting from the investments
of financial institutions as a way to contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The aim of the paper is to define harmonized principles underlying biodiversity impact
assessment approaches/methodologies. These harmonised principles can be used by financial
institutions interested in assessing the impact of investments on biodiversity. Although the
focus is very much on quantifying this impact, the principles are also relevant for a qualitative
analysis of biodiversity impact (e.g. to understand what should be included in the analysis and
how impacts can be defined). This principles could also support financial institutions with the
formulation of strategies and the setting of goals
The loss of biodiversity has an impact on the economy. Firstly, the loss of biodiversity threatens the health of ecosystems that provide services to the economy, such as animal pollination of food crops, natural water treatment and fertile soil. The Global Assessment of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), published in 2019, shows that a large proportion of original biodiversity has been lost in many places worldwide. For example, deforestation not only causes nature to deteriorate, it can also cause erosion of fertile soil, rendering agricultural land unusable in the long term. Second, the loss of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems contributes to accelerating climate change. Deforestation is responsible for just over 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Biodiversity loss is therefore considered to be one of the greatest risks to society and the economy.
Climate stability and biodiversity are ultimately two sides of the same coin. President Macron and President Xi emphasized this in their "Beijing Call" in autumn 2019, highlighting the crucial role of private and public financial flows to combat climate change and halt biodiversity loss.