The increased scrutiny on asset manager engagement is a sign the ESG investment industry is “growing up” and firms should welcome these questions, said Fidelity’s head of stewardship for Europe in this video interview. She explained how standards are moving and best practice is evolving, which is, for her an exciting time to be working … Read more
The demand for sustainability disclosures from funds has far outpaced regulation in recent years. For investment trusts, this has created a dilemma. While wanting to satisfy investors’ desire for disclosure, trusts’ boards and managers have been bombarded by a barrage of different sustainability standards, frameworks and expectations – and a lack of clear guidance from … Read more
Investments in healthcare – particularly in vaccine development – and the gender health gap were key themes for investors that emerged from the discussions at this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting. The 54th meeting – also known as Davos and held in the Swiss Alps – also urged investors to address how to … Read more
With some scientists suggesting the world has entered into its sixth mass extinction cycle, a recent Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) webinar – Nature Nurture: Can Investors Seek To Protect Nature And Still Deliver Returns – offered insights into the complexities and opportunities in investing in biodiversity and natural capital. As investment commentators flagged … Read more
Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has launched the Global Environmental Transition Equity fund to invest across five themes for sustainability. The Article 8 fund will focus on extraction, power generation, manufacturing, transportation, and consumption industries. GSAM says it will look for companies that currently have a ‘heavy’ environmental footprint and are looking to improve by … Read more
Jan Oliff, managing director of Jan Oliff Financial Planning and member of the Ethical Investment Association, has been involved in ESG investing since 2006 – it’s a passion she says that keeps her working. Here, Oliff discusses her problem with employee pension funds, why regulators encourage greenwashing and where she sees sustainable investments heading next. … Read more
In this series, ESG Clarity takes a deep dive into an investment firm’s stewardship activities, discovering their key focuses and processes, and what’s in their engagement toolkit. Here, Clemence Humeau, head of sustainability coordination & governance at AXA Investment Managers, discusses the impact of regulation and ‘greenhushing’ and clients’ increasing understanding on engagement. What do you think will … Read more
The number of incidents negatively affecting nature and biodiversity is rising, with industries that cause such damage lacking adequate means to manage the issue, according to the latest ESG spotlight report from Morningstar Sustainalytics, Biodiversity in the Balance: Hedging Portfolio Risks. Investors are growing increasingly interested in addressing portfolio risks linked to biodiversity loss, and … Read more
Working in finance can be tough. While it’s not physically taxing (most of the time!), there’s a real mental strain that comes with working in an environment where everything, including your performance, is repriced every second. And if you work in sustainable finance, you add having to stay on top of literally all the world’s … Read more
Investment strategies should prioritise engagement and stewardship as the primary mechanism to drive alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement, as emphasised by the latest guidance from the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC). The Net Zero Voting Guidance is designed to support asset owners and managers in the development of their own … Read more