Happy to announce the launch of a new Economist Intelligence Unit research project that I led, Resetting the Agenda: How ESG is shaping our future, sponsored by UBS. The research is based on a global survey of 450 institutional investors across the world. It explores the ongoing shift of environmental, governance and social factors from risk to opportunity within the investment space, and how this is impacting investment processes and strategies.
The integration of ESG into investment factors has become mainstream among asset owners (pension funds, insurance funds, sovereign wealth funds etc). Up until 2020, ESG was mostly used to manage risks. Post-pandemic the concept is increasingly linked to investment opportunities.
Themes related to the environment (i.e. renewable energy, climate change mitigation, pollution control) are cited as the most promising for investors, in addition to cybersecurity and data privacy.
Impact investing is the next frontier in sustainable investing, and investors are turning to the UN SDGs as a guiding framework. However, obstacles remain, particularly the need for global common standards to increase transparency and accountability.
Read the full study, white paper and infographic here: https://eiuperspectives.economist.com/ResettingTheAgenda
