The ESG Data Quality Story July 18, 2023 | Sponsored Handle with caution: ESG data is plagued with gaps and holes – and we must treat it as such In times gone by, the main problem with data on companies’ impact on the planet and its people, on their internal culture and governance, was that we didn’t really have any. For the first stint of [...]
Hong Kong a reminder that firms must match words with actions July 12, 2023 Last week in this space we suggested that Hong Kong’s decision to place a bounty on the head of eight effectively-exiled pro-democracy protestors, including the young campaigner Nathan Law, showed the true autocratic colours of the territory’s government and its Beijing masters. That Hong Kong police yesterday raided the home of Law’s family, and questioned [...]
Is the era of ESG investing over? June 30, 2023 Battered by inflation and economic turmoil, ESG funds have to prove their worth again.
Banks ditch sustainability as economic headwinds slows progress June 13, 2023 SUSTAINABILITY is falling down the list of priorities for many UK banks, after a new study found the number of banks stating sustainability was a key part of their business strategy had plummeted by 40 per cent in a year. Only 60 per cent of banking leaders in the UK say sustainability is an important [...]
Evolving ESG June 2, 2023 | Sponsored As the world becomes more socially and environmentally conscious, impactful ESG policies have become integral to corporate strategies. Stakeholders at every level, be they shareholders, employees, or consumers are demanding more of them, and firms should look to embrace this as a chance to make radical positive change. These increasing public expectations have been accompanied [...]
Private funds expect incoming ESG regulations to boost sector – but UK will trail US and EU May 30, 2023 Private investment firms in the UK think incoming ESG regulations will boost sector but funds worry divergence from global norms could harm progress. According to research from PwC, 59.1 per cent of Limited Partners (LPs) and 58.0 per cent of General Partners (GPs) surveyed believed incoming regulations in the UK targeting ESG would have a [...]
Appetite for ESG investing falls – but could tighter regulation improve its performance? May 19, 2023 ESG is sliding down the list of investment priorities as investors refocus on maximising returns amid ESG’s poor performance and wider market volatility. According to the latest research by Charles Schwab UK, in two years the number of investors who believe companies with strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) credentials are attractive investment options has [...]
‘I knew I wouldn’t be loved’: The FCA’s ESG chief talks ruffling feathers in the fight against greenwashing April 27, 2023 ESG has become the City’s favourite acronym over the past three years and almost every boss and investment manager has scrambled to plant their flag on the standards as closely as they possibly can. But those claims and labels don’t always stand up to scrutiny. Greenwashing is running rampant. Clean and green claims are being [...]
UK’s major listed companies given ESG scorecards – and it doesn’t look good April 3, 2023 ‘Management of emissions’ and ‘air pollution’ are the biggest ESG risk factors for the UK’s largest listed companies, according to new research by reinsurance firm Chaucer. On average the UK’s largest listed companies scored just 13.7 and 14.3 out of 100 for ‘management of emissions’ and ‘air pollution’, respectively. On the positive side, listed companies [...]
Starbucks faces pressure from German giant Allianz to overhaul approach to unions March 6, 2023 Starbucks today faced mounting pressure over its approach towards unions after German financial services giant Allianz vowed to back a push to force the coffee seller to overhaul its labour policies. Allianz GI today vowed to support an investor resolution calling on Starbucks to overhaul its approach to workers’ unions, following concerns about the coffee [...]