UK pension funds are being hampered in their Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) by unreliable or limited data, and need clearer guidance from the government on how to report, according to research. Analysis from Pensions for Purpose, which helps pension funds invest for impact, found most pension funds are not yet using their … Read more
The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) proposed requirement for fund managers to make public holdings that clients might find surprising in a sustainable fund has been welcomed as an “innovative idea” but one that needs further consideration. At the end of January this year, the UK regulator collected responses to its consultation paper, Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) … Read more
ESG Clarity and its sister publications Portfolio Adviser, International Adviser, Expert Investor and Fund Selector Asia have been sold to the Mark Allen Group. The deal is subject to shareholder approval, which will take place over the coming two weeks. The £6.5m acquisition of the UK and Asia assets, which also includes Bonhill Create and … Read more
Nikko Asset Management has created a global sustainable investment team, bringing the firm’s growing number of ESG personnel under one umbrella. The team covers all asset classes and spans the firm’s Singapore, Tokyo, and London offices. It is responsible for providing ESG services to the investment and business teams, and ultimately to clients. Natalia Rajewska … Read more
The global sustainable bond market is expected to bounce back in sales this year, following a dip last year amid worsening credit conditions. Sales of those bonds – green, social, sustainable and sustainability-linked – are projected to reach $900bn to $1trn in 2023, which would put them just behind the sales levels seen in 2021, … Read more
For one coffee company in Rwanda, the year is off to a potentially exciting start. The purchase of a coffee hulling chain machine means Green Mountain Arabica Coffee is able to process cherry coffee into parchment coffee and finally green coffee, ready for export. The company, which was founded by Jeanne Niyonsaba in 2012, has … Read more
Unilever has topped the list of the 50 best performing global companies based on actions taken to address the refugee crisis. Refugee Integration Scores, compiled by Refugee Integration Insights (RII), are weighted towards activities that contribute towards refugee economic integration and enable refugee self-reliance. Joining the pharmaceutical giant in the top five are Citigroup, Inditex, … Read more
Last month, a survey of 1,000 factories in Bangladesh found workers were paid the same as before the pandemic, despite soaring costs of materials. Major UK high street retailers were found to use these factories, with researchers finding 90% of larger high street brands buying from four or more factories engaging in unfair purchasing practices. … Read more
abrdn has launched an Asian high yield sustainable bond fund, which aims to provide investors sources of income as economies battle to avoid recession. “Last year was a tough one for investors into Asia’s high-yield bond market. If anything, it underlined the need for a better approach to risk that can deliver consistently high income … Read more
Indonesia has identified the first coal plant it will retire early under the Asian Development Bank’s new Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). The country is the world’s biggest thermal coal exporter and heavily reliant on the fuel for electricity. The ETM aims to assist the sustainable replacement of coal-fired power with renewables. Low-cost refinancing and early … Read more