What makes a good responsible investment policy?
When First Sentier Investors updated our responsible investment (RI) policy two years ago, we knew it wouldn’t be a ‘set and forget’ task. The policy includes a mechanism to be reviewed at least every two years – but two years is a long time in the ESG world, and our latest review led to a number of important updates to the policy and its underlying approach.
New Issue of The ESG Factor Magazine
Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology and by courtesy, psychiatry, and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine, was asked on The Nine Club podcast about his best advice for getting fit and healthy.
In response, he prefaced his suggestions, telling the hosts: “People ask me this kind of stuff all the time. What do I do? How do I sleep better? How do I stop stressing? Usually, I find that people are not serious. Meaning, they want an answer, but they don’t want to do the work.”
Huberman was talking about health and fitness at an individual level, but this is a problem in general in society. Individuals, companies, governments, and other stakeholders don’t want to do what is needed to address the major societal challenges.
The ESG Factor Magazine – Q4 2022
On Sunday, football fans, including myself, were lucky to witness one of the all time great world cup finals. Football really is the beautiful game.
The refereeing on the other hand, over the course of the tournament, was well below par. To the point where it seems we are left questioning what the rules are now, because of the lack of consistency in terms of how referees are applying the rules.
The investment industry faces a similar challenge in 2023 and beyond, with the need for much greater consistency in the application of the sustainable finance regulation.
The ESG Factor Magazine – Q3 2022
There is an ancient Taoist principle called WuWei, which represents
the idea of effortless action. It literally translates as “non-action” or
“no action”; but it doesn’t mean doing nothing. The philosopher Alan
Watts describes it as ‘not forcing’ – ‘It is not cultivated passivity, or
cultivated spontaneity. It is the art of sailing, rather the art of rowing.’
Instead, one lunatic at the head of an exceptional long table in Russia decided to launch a “special military operation” – not a war, repeat, not a war – against Ukraine.
The ESG Factor Magazine – Q2 2022
After almost two years of battling a global pandemic, one could be forgiven for thinking that we might emerge as a species united by an increased sense of the value of life. Wishful thinking.
Instead, one lunatic at the head of an exceptional long table in Russia decided to launch a “special military operation” – not a war, repeat, not a war – against Ukraine.
What is the temperature of your portfolio?
The carbon neutral program’s aim is to help catalyze the shift toward a carbon neutral economy and alignment with the Paris Agreement (limiting global warming to 1.5°C). By increasing awareness among capital allocators of funds that are actually carbon neutral, we can remove some of the noise around carbon neutrality, and other funds will be encouraged to follow suit. Credible decarbonisation of portfolios is a must.
Air Quality – Health & Wellbeing in the Built Environment
In developed countries, people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, meaning that the quality of the built environment is essential to human health and wellbeing. Consider a few of these options to keep your home and workplace safe and healthy.
How big is big enough?
The investment world also has a few super massive corporations today. The similarities with these large stars are striking. To many observers, much like the massive stars, such companies look wonderfully positioned with strong growth rates. What’s bubbling beneath this glowing surface, however, is usually a precarious balance between rising risks at the core and growth at the surface that likely will be incrementally harder to come by.
ESG Trends to Watch for 2022
In 2022, climate change has come to surpass corporate governance as the most pressing ESG issue commanding investors’ attention, and ESG investing truly has gone mainstream (and is attracting the regulatory attention to prove it). Yet there are new risks emerging for companies, investors and the planet in the coming decade that will test how well we have learned the lessons of the past.
The ESG Factor Magazine – Q1 2022
We are failing on the sustainable development goals, maintaining a long run of failure when it comes to sustainability. But as Sartre said ‘there is no hope except in action’. Individually, we have to do the best we can to make a positive impact in the short time we are here. Yes, greenwashing is a problem, but there is also a lot of people working towards a better world, as hard as it might be.