“The same company may receive widely different scores from different providers.1 This does not mean ESG data are useless — it means they must be interpreted thoughtfully. ESG scores can be helpful information inputs, not buy-or-sell signals. [COMMENTARY] Investors should know the methodology ratings providers use to arrive at a company’s ESG score. Only then…

“There was a slight increase in shareholder support for management resolutions: Average support rose to 95.6% in 2025, from 95.0% in 2024 and 95.1% in 2023… Average support for shareholder resolutions on governance remained steady at around 30%… Meanwhile, average support for environmental and social, or E&S, shareholder resolutions fell from 18.8% in the 2023…

“The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced it is reviewing the 2023 Names Rule amendments to reduce reporting and compliance burdens. It has also issued additional FAQs, providing new guidance on environmental, social and governance (ESG)‑themed names, integration strategies, derivatives and temporary departures from 80 percent policies.” [COMMENTARY] This is yet another policy initiative…

“The new Asia Pacific 50 Most Sustainable Corporations ranking is a who’s-who of climate-aligned heavyweights in the region.” [COMMENTARY] Another first for Corporate Knights! Ethical and sustainable investors are increasingly looking to Asia for investments. This study and ranking will be helpful to them. Asia Pacific’s green champions step into the spotlight, introduction by Gordon…

“SEC’s new rule creates regulatory uncertainty, leading to investor lawsuits… Companies cautious with new power, blocking few shareholder resolutions… Lawsuits prompt companies like Pepsi, AT&T to allow shareholder votes.” [COMMENTARY] Companies represent investor interests. Hence, investors should have the freedom to question companies, particularly if they represent significant proportions of the voting shares. Trump’s SEC…

“ESG investing has not disappeared, but it has changed. Longitudinal survey data from U.S. retail investors and large institutional asset managers show that early enthusiasm—especially among younger investors—has converged around a more pragmatic, risk-first approach.” [OMMENTARY] The belief in the constructs underlying ESG has been ‘recalibrated’ in most companies and among investors. They have not given…

“In sum, many institutional investors are still feeling their way as they develop their strategy for dealing with whether and how to incorporate ESG and sustainability issues into their investing decisions.” [COMMENTARY] A distinguished law firm has published an interesting report that will interest ethical and sustainable investors. Perspectives In ESG And Sustainable Investment –…

“Overall ESG performance—particularly its environmental and social dimensions—is positively associated with firm profitability, measured by return on assets (ROA).” [COMMENTARY] Here is another study showing that good corporate ESG performance equates with strong corporate financial performance! Hence, why not consider a company’s ESG performance in assessing whether it is a good investment or not? When…

“ESG investing has not disappeared, but it has changed. Longitudinal survey data from U.S. retail investors and large institutional asset managers show that early enthusiasm—especially among younger investors—has converged around a more pragmatic, risk-first approach.” [COMMENTARY] The findings of this research concur with what I’ve suspected in recent years. The talk of investors abandoning an…

“The 2026 Carbon Clean 200 list shows average sustainable revenues rising and pure-play firms taking a greater share of the index.” [COMMENTARY] This is possibly my favourite company ranking. It ranks global public companies by their total sustainable revenues and by sustainable revenues relative to their total revenues. Clean200 companies hit $2.8 trillion in sustainable…

“The line between sustainability and security is being redrawn behind closed doors, exposing a growing mismatch between ESG labels and real-world portfolios.” [COMMENTARY] How do you feel about investing in the defence sector? Can defence companies be categorized as sustainable or labelled ESG? Do potential returns justify such investments? This article offers a good discussion…

“This article is the second in a series (read the first interview here) highlighting the perspectives of experts who are part of this work and participated in our related 2025 Climate Week NYC panel, Valuing the Priceless: Investing in Nature’s Intangible Benefits.” [COMMENTARY] These articles highlight a fascinating discussion that in the future could become…

“Both the UK and EU frameworks are based on the recommendations published by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), which are intended to enable international interoperability in this space.” [COMMENTARY] Some standardization of metrics is desirable for comparison purposes between ESG raters and for international comparisons, as we have with finance metrics like return…

“Regulatory shifts are rewriting the rules of engagement between companies and their shareholders.” [COMMENTARY] This authoritative article has many insights for ethical and sustainable investors. It provides insights that could affect how you invest. 2026 Corporate Governance Trends to Watch, by Ray Garcia, Matt DiGuiseppe, and Arielle Berlin, PricewaterhouseCoopers, February 8, 2026, Harvard Law School Forum…

“The challenge is how ESG ratings can be refined to drive meaningful and resilient sustainable investing outcomes. In our view, exclusive dependence on thirdparty providers has its limits.” [COMMENTARY] My concerns regarding ESG ratings providers are that they need to be fully transparent about who they are, ownership, biases, etc., as well as provide a…

“Navigating grey area sectors successfully depends on due diligence and active engagement, not blanket exclusions, fund managers say.” [COMMENTARY] This is a useful article for most investors today. Investors might glean some ideas from it for themselves. How sustainable funds are navigating AI, defence and financials, by Emmy Hawker, February 2, 2026, Trustnet, UK.

“The green bond market has entered a new phase of maturity. It proved resilient in 2025, with growth essentially driven by Europe.” [COMMENTARY] By now, probably most ethical and sustainable investors own green bonds. They will likely continue to increase their holdings in them, too. What next for green bonds after a year of resilience?…

“OPINION | Proposed legislation by Ted Cruz to block voting on ESG and DEI proposals is just the tip of a broader attack on shareholder democracy.” [COMMENTARY] Restricting the proxy rights of shareholders is anathema to most investors. Hence, should this measure pass, it’s likely to be unpopular among investors. It’s not just ESG –…

“The landscape for the new year will likely be shaped by major themes that include a pragmatic focus on physical climate risk and adaptation, a heightened emphasis on labor and human capital, an increased interest in bringing sustainability and impact considerations to private markets, and the emergence of more sophisticated tools to evaluate the risks…

“Companies in the S&P 500 SPX with high ESG ratings actually produced 12% more carbon emissions than their lower-rated industry peers, report professors Panos Patatoukas of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and Jinsung Hwang of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, South Korea… The reason for this? ‘ESG assessments reward disclosure practices…