TTYL says IPCC

Cleantech in the crosshairs. Biden backs ESG. Plus, IPCC warns 1.5°C is do or die.

Banks, and “ESG,” have had a bad week

“The first rule of ESG: Don’t talk about ESG.” - BlackRock, maybe. Plus, banks have a bad week.

Never mind the carbon

US partisan ping pong. European green bond rules. Util on Adani. Plus, do the latest numbers prove methane pledges are all hot air?

Sustainable or stalling?

Rainbow-washing. Supply chain secrets. Extinction fears. Plus, does aviation have a shot at sustainability?

Planes, trains and chemical spills

22 Feb 2023 | Util is growing. World Bank goes green. Nobody wins the ESG culture war. Plus, who's responsible for the Norfolk Southern disaster?

Developing (market) polycrisis

15 Feb 2023 | Bright power prospects. Fossil fuel U-turn. Shy transition plans. Plus, developing markets in crisis.

Adani was ESG

6 Feb 2022 | Clues in the capex. EU green seeds. Plus, how did Adani pass the ESG test?

Exxon kept it in the ground

30 Jan 2022 | Banks obfuscate. Scope 3 scrutiny. The great green reshuffle. Plus, ExxonMobil is bad at disclosures.

Math(s) isn't universal

23 Jan 2022 | Davos hypocrisy. Proxy power. Green protectionism. Plus, what does carbon offset controversy say about disclosures?

The watershed year for H2O

16 Jan 2022 | Climate litigation. ESG flows. Sovereign debt woes. Plus, green investing goes blue.

Nobody likes you when you’re ’23

9 Jan 2022 | Brace for turbulence (and market bifurcation) ahead.

Util (un)wrapped

30 Dec 2022 | 12 months of major milestones

Catch-2022

19 Dec 2022 | Util's year in review.

Florida man bins BlackRock

5 Dec 2022 | Plus, US subsidies spark global green arms race. But how clean is green?

Big Tech's Big Reckoning

27 Nov 2022 | COP27 post-mortem. Biodiversity's 'Paris moment'. The $4M greenwash bill. Plus, FAANG sustainability faces scrutiny.

Zero FTX given

20 Nov 2022 | Regulation tailwinds. COP27 divisions. Decarbonisation questions. Plus, where does the crypto crisis leave ESG?

Nobody wants to do harm

13 Nov 2022 | Paris Agreement obituary. Climate finance crunch. SFDR teething troubles.

Who’s in the COP 27 Club?

4 Nov 2022 | Plus, Util raises $6m investment round.

When is important not urgent?

20 Oct 2022 | Banks quiet quitting. Companies green hushing. Investors transitioning.

Untangling the polycrisis

12 Oct 2022 | Plus, auto companies get creative with Scope 3 accounting.

Greed is good

3 Oct 2022 | GFANZ hits hurdles. Climate lawsuits escalate. Plus, are renewables in the crosshairs of biodiversity?

Pecuniary investments for a pecuniary world

13 Sep 2022 | The GOP hates ESG; BlackRock hits back; untangling ESG and impact (again).

What does Big Oil want?

15 Aug 2022 | Clean energy gets a boost. Disclosure frameworks face off. Plus: Has Big Oil found its Big Heart?

Don't tread on ESG

30 Jul 2022 | ESG in US political crosshairs; Emissions aren't enough; Time to face energy transition tradeoffs.

What's in a (fund) name?

18 Jun 2022 | SEC comes for rebranded funds. ESG blocks economic development. We show best and worst funds for climate.

ESG self sabotage

21 May 2022 | Republicans love to hate ESG, Elon wants attention, crypto needs risk management.

Pigs, proxies, and passives

30 Apr 2022 | Plus, what do mining investors need to know for the transition?

Transition headwinds

5 Apr 2022 | ISSB standardises standards, disclosures aren't cheap, what to watch this AGM szn. Plus, how will airlines navigate the transition?

Globalisation is out

25 Mar 2022 | SEC climate disclosures; European (green) protectionism; BlackRock's bye to globalisation. Plus, what can we learn from the SDG impact of oil & gas?

Going nuclear

4 Mar 2022 | Weapons are ESG now. Investment lessons from sanctions. Energy security vs autocracy. Plus, is it nuclear's chance to glow up?

Do well by doing bad

18 Feb 2022 | A victory for vice sectors; climate stress tests create greenwash; regulation plays catch up. Plus, an appeal against complicated solutions to complex problems.

Facebook? Never heard of it

4 Feb 2022 | Finding alpha in clean energy; earnings divergence means discernment; ESG breaks up with Big Tech. Or, Big Tech breaks up with Big Tech.

50 shades of green

27 Jan 2022 | Green is planet, green is money, green is naive.

Greenwash to wish-wash

20 Jan 2022 | Larry Fink's letter to CEOs reveals one possible direction for sustainable investing.

Not another 2022 outlook

12 Jan 2022 | Last week, we did a whistle-stop tour of 2021: a year in which sustainable finance began to show characteristics of maturity. Picking up where we left off, two questions hang over 2022. What are the drivers of a mature market? More importantly, what are the consequences?

2021: The year ESG grew up

5 Jan 2022 | In our first issue of 2022, we review a catalytic year for sustainable finance.

MSC-why

15 Dec 2021 | Third-party ratings face fury; Shell hits 0.05% of tree target; time to retire 'ESG'?

Fight, flight, freeze or fawn?

17 Nov 2021 |Royal Dutch hell, carbon's tokenisation treatment, woke MBAs, and oil's record cost of capital. Plus, the divest/engage dilemma gets tricky.

Good COP/Bad COP

4 Nov 2021 | A critical question hangs over COP26: Who's picking up the bill for the energy transition?

Aramco + Tesla have an identity problem

27 Oct 2021 | National emissions targets diverge; index providers face insurrection; Aramco wants to have its cake and eat it too. Plus, with a new $1trn valuation, is Tesla really a car company anymore?

Policy must move fast and fix things

20 Oct 2021 | Sustainable disclosure regulations propagate (and diverge); index influence amplifies corporate failings; ESG derivatives come under fire. Plus, what do Facebook and ESG have in common?

No wealth without [eco]health

13 Oct 2021 | Private markets pivot to ESG; banks push to keep financing fossil fuels; the US becomes a panacea for renewable opportunities. Plus, we dive into the latest casualty of climate change: the portfolio risks of which are critically overlooked

How climate friendly is your capital?

23 Sep 2021 | To celebrate New York Climate Week, we measured the SDG impact of every US-domiciled fund. Download the full report below.

ESG's double-hedged sword

15 Sep 2021 | This week, investors short their way to net zero; funds rebranded as sustainable in name only; subjective ESG demands call for more specific approaches. Plus, how do you fold impact assessment into portfolio construction?

The KIIDs are not alright

6 Sep 2021 | This week, the DWS greenwashing probe set off dominoes; Cathie Wood's new ARK Investment Management LLC fund underscores a dilemma at the heart of the sustainable transition; climate emerges as the most urgent ESG factor. Plus, which SDGs are the greatest casualties of today's blanket approach to ESG?

Is it time for ESG to grow up?

24 Aug 2021 | An ex-BlackRock head leads ESG backlash; investors and businesses face impact accounting revolution; money earmarked for good languishes under weak regulation. Plus, is it time to think beyond ESG?

Lessons from meme stonk mutualism

9 Aug 2021 | IPCC sounds climate 'code red'; direct indexing signals new direction for ESG investors; DWS pivots amid alleged internal challenges. Plus, Robinhood's IPO forces reflections on finance's social role.

Lithium: A catch-22 investment

2 Aug 2021 | Ratings providers are in the hot seat; the ESG bubble debate intensifies; Util makes IW Sustainable Investment Awards 2021 shortlist. Plus, what lessons can we learn from Rio's lithium investment?

What do COVID and ESG have in common?

Systemic change at speed shows the emperor has no clothes

Closing the qual-quant gap

21 Jul 2021 | Asset managers go on ESG buying spree; sustainable investing faces an existential question; ESG now a third of global assets. Plus, how can qualitative and quantitative analysis work together to support sustainability?

How sustainable is space travel?

15 Jul 2021 | Util partners with BNP's Manaos; ESG asset allocation concerns mount; net zero reaches tipping point (in more ways than one). Plus, space tourism has liftoff, forcing investors to ask difficult questions.

We need to talk about ESG outperformance

30 Jun 2021 | The SEC set its sights on greenwashing; sustainable bond funds hit new highs; the debate deepened between active and passive. Plus, what will we learn from ESG's asset allocation problem?

Give us data, not disclosures

22 Jun 2021 | EU sustainable inflows set new records, climate pledges (and policy) come under fire, and UN talks hit a wall. Plus, we wade into the US ESG disclosure debate. 

Tesla: From 0 to 62 and everywhere in between

16 Jun 2021 | The G7 backs mandatory disclosures, the green transition causes mineral overstretch, and ESG ETFs begin to evolve. Plus, why is the sustainability picture so complicated for Tesla?

From intent to impact

11 Jun 2021 | ESG inflows cause froth, Big Oil finally has its Big Tobacco moment, why data needs a human lens. Plus, are investors and companies finally moving from intent to impact?

Who's outmanoeuvring whom?

The IEA calls for fossil fuel halt, banks pivot on green financing, companies talk (and talk) about carbon. Plus, how can investors outwit corporate spin?

The law of unintended consequences

Musk backs off from Bitcoin; SSGA warns of 'brown-spinning'; ESG alpha comes into question. Plus, what can we learn from the 'looming mismatch' between net zero and mineral supplies?

When sustainability falls victim to its own success

There are lessons to be learned from the rebalancing of the S&P Dow Jones Clean Energy index and BlackRock ETFs tracking it.

Putting Coinbase to the test: Can crypto ever be sustainable?

As crypto enters mainstream finance, it is important that we fully understand and address its sustainability implications

Investment groups take a look in the mirror 

With SDFR barrelling down the autobahn, are asset managers ready to meet their own demands?

Can machine learning bring ESG investing back on course?

ESG investing appears to be straying from its path but can machine learning help set it back on its course?

A little less conversation

Chevron under fire for greenwashing as a first-of-its-kind complaint is filed with the Federal Trade Commission.

The trouble with net zero

Can Shell really deliver on its net-zero commitment?

Putting a bandaid on a bullet wound

British American Tobacco's ESG score is yet the latest example of the misalignment between financial and sustainability outcomes.

Beyond the Vale

This month, Vale regained an investment-grade rating from Moody's. Is it deserved?

Is Airbus taking off or stalling?

Airbus revealed concepts for the world's first zero-emission aircraft. But it still faces an uncertain future.

Pricing the circular economy

Tomra "walks and talks like an industrial company but is valued like Amazon," boding well for the circular economy.

Unilever adds to fossil fuel pressure

Unilever is cutting oil and investing in renewable alternatives. Is this the start of the bioeconomy?

The problem with ESG ratings

What can India’s largest listed coal utility tell us about the sustainable data market? Arguably, that it doesn't work.

BP to Boohoo

BP's second-quarter results conclude a dismal season for the oil majors. But they can still turn it around.

Tesla's wild ride

Ten years ago, electric vehicles were a niche market. Today, their ubiquity is assured.

Fourth industrial revolution kicks into gear

There's a big conflict between companies' rhetoric and spending. Exxon is a shining example.

From resilience to regeneration

If the first recession since 2008 is a litmus test for the long-term viability of ESG, it looks like it might pass.

ESG in the time of coronavirus

Will investors stick with sustainability through COVID-19? More importantly, will corporates?

Can sustainability survive coronavirus?

Present market volatility is a stark reminder that we can’t always rely on purpose and profit to run in parallel. 

What does it take to create a new bottom line?

If we want investors to elevate social and environmental returns to the same level as financial returns, we first need to arm them with a metric that demonstrates what exactly success looks like.

Week in Impact: Alexa, solve the climate crisis

Week in Impact: The problem with passives

Week in Impact: The looming cost of stranded assets

Week in Impact: Discord in Davos?

The evolution of Larry's letters

Does BlackRock's watershed CEO letter suggest investors and business leaders are finally taking climate risk seriously?

Week in Impact: BlackRock's stake in the ground

Impact investment use cases: No one size fits all

What does a typical impact investor look like? As we find out, there’s no such thing.

Week in Impact: It all hangs on COP 26

The greenest race in UK history

In a particularly fractured political climate, there's one issue around which the UK electorate has rallied. What might it mean for the country's uncertain future?

Environmental policy: The UK’s next greatest export?

As the UK grapples with an uncertain future, there's one area in which we can still lead the global debate.

Week in Impact: Another year, another record

Greenhouse gas concentration poses a threat to Paris agreement targets; China rolls back on renewables and forward on coal; France calls for "urgent" EU ESG rules.

Impact investing's data debacle

Investors have the financial clout, responsibility and impetus to address social and environmental crises such as climate change. But how are they doing it and what hurdles still lie in the way?

Week in Impact: The empty promise of climate pledges

As evidence emerges that the world's existing climate policies will do little to slow global warming, governments, investors and lenders are urged to act.

Week in Impact: The green bond bubble

Nowhere is the demand for sustainable finance more evident than in the green bond market, but are there more effective ways to channel finance towards positive environmental - and social - outcomes?

Week in Impact: Imagining a future without ESG

Another week, another assertion that ESG is completely, absolutely, entirely mainstream. Can that claim weather a recession? And what lies ahead for fossil fuel companies?

Business as usual in a burning building

A systems-level problem like climate change requires a system-level solution, but so far the financial community has been happy to play at the margins.

Week in Impact: Winning slowly is still losing

Reversing climate change while managing social dislocation is the 21st Century's supertanker U-turn challenge. It's time to stop relying on technology and markets alone to provide smooth sailing.

Five takeaways from PRI in Person 2019

This month, we attended PRI in Person: a record gathering of asset managers and owners brought together to review the state of play for sustainable finance. The first of many climate-focused events that punctuated September, we came away with five takeaways and a cautious optimism for the future of responsible investing.

Week in Impact: Climate Week kicks off

Climate Week has been heralded by a flurry of pledges from companies and financial institutions. What do they amount to? And should investors be doing more?

Week in Impact: Ready or not

Concern grows that financial institutions aren't prepared for climate change; appetite for sustainable investing is stymied by limited product choice; and credit ratings agencies join the ESG data race.

Week in Impact: Fossil fuels feel the burn

This week, the gulf widened between US and European approaches to responsible finance, fossil fuel companies ran into controversy, and MSCI acquired data prover Carbon Delta.

Week in Impact: From greenwashing to greenwishing

This week, asset managers honed in on the impact market, calls emerged for collaborative industry initiatives, and KKR raised $225bn for its impact fund.

Week in Impact: The Amazon burns; meat feels the heat

This week, the Amazon rainforest fires elicited backlash against the meat industry, while ESG ratings came under fire from researchers and asset managers.

Week in Impact: The fight to save capitalism

This week, business leaders responded to populism in an unexpected way; the relationship between pensions and climate change came under scrutiny; and Apollo Global Management joined the impact investment race.