Troubled Waters: The Urgent Fight to Prevent Unlawful Pollution September 20, 2023 | Sponsored With the end of summer approaching, it is time to savour the last of the warmth and enjoy soaking up the sun. For many, their favourite way to spend a hot day is taking a dip in one of a number of diverse water bodies. From the lochs of Scotland to the southern English coast, [...]
How Moral is ESG? September 20, 2023 ESG is immoral. So argued Milton Friedman, an economist, back in 1970. Customers, employees and stockholders, he said, did not need company executives to spend their money for them. If an executive, operating in a competitive market, took an action that reduced her company’s profits in the name of “‘social responsibility’”, she then had to [...]
Measuring Apple’s Sustainable Progress September 19, 2023 | Sponsored Apple stalled their much-awaited phone release to showcase their sustainability progress video featuring actress Octavia Spencer and CEO Tim Cook himself, a couple of days ago which garnered the interest of many, like me. Although the video is quite impressive and highlights the commendable efforts made by the company’s sustainability team, it doesn’t quite show [...]
“Trustees relying on a headline ESG rating ARE at risk.” – pI ESG Club Conference 2023 Recap September 19, 2023 | Sponsored The following is a write-up by Integrum ESG analyst Molly Frazer after having attended Portfolio Institutional’s ESG Club Conference on 13 September 2023. This was an event attended by many leading figures in the UK & EU Asset Owner community, where institutional investors engaged on how to reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuels, protect [...]
Impact AM Live S2 EP3 Why are exchanges important to ESGImpact AM Live S2 EP3 September 5, 2023 Welcome to Impact AM, where we bring you thought-provoking discussions on the issues that matter most in today’s ever-evolving financial landscape. In this episode, our esteemed host Julia Streets sits down with Nandini Sukumar, the visionary CEO of the World Federation of Exchanges, to delve into the transformative world of ESG initiatives. Why ESG Matters [...]
“It’s Not About Diversity” September 5, 2023 The idea that companies should look out for people other than themselves is a simple one. But it has spawned all sorts of complicated-sounding acronyms, from CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) to CSV (Creating Shared Value) and, of course, ESG. One such is D&I (Diversity and Inclusion). For Joel Blake OBE, Founder of GFA Exchange, an [...]
Sustainability for Businesses is a Moving Target August 29, 2023 | Sponsored Achieving more sustainable business practices is not a static process. In the past, sustainability was often seen as a matter of reducing environmental impact. Businesses would focus on cutting back on waste, using energy-efficient equipment, and recycling materials. However, in recent years, the definition of sustainability and its interconnected nature has broadened to include social [...]
Effectively Demonstrating Sustainability Ambitions Key To Unlocking More Successful M&A Deals August 29, 2023 | Sponsored According to a new M&A survey from KPMG, 53% of participants reported that ESG findings have resulted in deal cancellations and 42% in purchase price reductions. The report also discovered that almost two thirds of investors would pay a premium for companies aligned with their ESG priorities. The challenges faced by professionals include:Lack of robust [...]
Greenwashing & Greenbleaching – 7 key points for asset managers August 29, 2023 | Sponsored ESMA (the European Supervisory Market Authority) published a “Progress Report on Greenwashing” – the link to which can be found here (https://www.esma.europa.eu/document/progress-report-greenwashing). The purpose of this report is to pave the way for future legislation but also to “identify preliminary remediation actions” (i.e. to cite clear examples of greenwashing, as a warning to market participants). [...]
Estimated ESG Data Is A Problem August 29, 2023 | Sponsored Earlier this year FTSE Russell published their annual global asset owner survey, focusing on their attitudes, priorities and decisions being made on sustainable investment. You can read the full results of the survey here. One of the key readings taken from this survey was that over half of asset owner participants believe that the primary [...]