Case studies
PGIM Quant Enhances Sustainable Investing Capabilities
May 2023 In this case study, learn how PGIM Quantitative Solutions is leveraging Util's data to enhance it's sustainable investing capabilities.
DPAM meets regulations, avoids greenwashing, with objective Impact data
June 2023 In this case study, learn how Degroof Petercam Asset Management (DPAM) uses Util's data to bolster investor confidence, satisfy regulatory reporting requirements, and prevent greenwashing.
News and reports
Impact investment Leaders & Laggards
August 2022 Our latest report reveals which are the top-ten positive- and negative- contributing investment funds relative to each of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — and why.
Under review are 6,000+ US-domiciled funds, for which we measure positive and negative performance, respectively. Funds are aggregated as an aggregation of holdings, weighted by allocation; companies, an aggregation of products, weighted by revenue. Relationships between products and SDGs derive from our canon of 120 million peer-reviewed texts.
Insights
When is hydrogen not green?
Supply chain scrutiny. Vilifying index giants. Plus, hydrogen investments come in every shade of grey.
Debunking dichotomies
SFDR flip flop. China ESG woes. AGM season spice. Plus, here’s why Tesla is neither automaker nor tech company.
E isn’t everything
Defending diversity in ESG ratings. Climate comes first in reporting. Nails in the coffin for EU taxonomy. Plus, we ship sustainability.
Pale Blue Dot
Trade battle lines deepen. ‘ESG integration’ axed. Net-zero insurers blink. Plus, can we save SDG 6 from drowning?
Label vs. Logic
Not-so Green Day. TNFD sneak peek. Sustainable aviation pressures. Plus, MSCI moves the market.
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.
2021: The year ESG grew up
5 Jan 2022 | In our first issue of 2022, we review a catalytic year for sustainable finance.
How do you bridge the SDG funding gap?
California overtakes the SEC on climate. ESG ratings battle conflict-of-interest claims. Util data underpins landmark UNGC SDG report. Plus, is data impeding SDG progress?
Scrap ABC in ESG
Insurance in a warm climate. Util reveals a sneak peek of something new. Plus, S&P axes alphanumeric ESG scores.
The boiling macro climate
US-China climate cooperation is back on. Util unveils two new products. Plus, is it past time to treat climate risk as macroeconomic risk?
Food for thought
The EU sets the (regulatory) tone. Corporate net-zero pledges lack credibility. Society gets dirty to go green. Plus, do food systems have time to reset before climate calamity?
Cold, shiny, hard plastic
ESG’s transatlantic fault lines. Regulators come for ratings. Greenwash is legal gold rush. Plus, petrochemical companies fight dirty.
Does “do no harm” do much good?
Insurers bow to GOP backlash. The EU greenlights sustainable due diligence. Biodiversity gets a boost. Plus, we argue positive outcomes depend on positive screening.
D*growth is a dirty word
Spotlight on pension schemes. Smashing through 1.5°C. Plus, can offsets and capex really fix the planet?
M&Nay
Cakes to courts in climate activism. Sustainable flows (and temperatures) soar. Plus, ESG comes for acquisition terms.
Garbage in
Engage v. divest. ESG partisanship. Plus, do investors have the full picture on AI ethics?
When is hydrogen not green?
Supply chain scrutiny. Vilifying index giants. Plus, hydrogen investments come in every shade of grey.
Debunking dichotomies
SFDR flip flop. China ESG woes. AGM season spice. Plus, here’s why Tesla is neither automaker nor tech company.
E isn’t everything
Defending diversity in ESG ratings. Climate comes first in reporting. Nails in the coffin for EU taxonomy. Plus, we ship sustainability.
Atlas Q&A [Part 3]
Part 3 of our Q&A Series is centred around how Atlas can help bring information available for public companies to private markets, and the value of micro-sectors in creating a more granular classification system.
Atlas Q&A [Part 2]
Part two of our Q&A Series is centred around how Atlas can help with evaluating new products, aiding in due diligence, and conducting in-depth product research.
Atlas Q&A [Part 1]
A 3-part series answering the top questions we have received about our new Atlas technology.
What do COVID and ESG have in common?
Systemic change at speed shows the emperor has no clothes
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.
The evolution of Larry's letters
Does BlackRock's watershed CEO letter suggest investors and business leaders are finally taking climate risk seriously?
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.
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.
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?
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 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?
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.