"Triodos: The sustainable and ethical bank surveyed 2,003 people who have some savings. The research reveals that the transition to a low-carbon economy is the top priority for savers wanting to make a positive difference. Nearly half (47 per cent) said they would like their money to be used to help develop renewable energy, while…

"Forty percent of advisors now report that socially responsible investing is important to them and their clients, compared to only 21 percent who said that in 2016." [COMMENTARY] This is wonderful news. Soon SRI-ethical investing will be quite normal for advisors and investors alike. Perhaps a day might come when nearly all investing is SRI-ethical-ESG…

"Khan, Serafeim, and Yoon (KSY)9: found that portfolios made up of companies with high KLD10 sustainability scores weighted by SASB11 materiality scores outperformed portfolios of companies with low KLD sustainability scores weighted by SASB materiality scores by average annual return gaps ranging from 3.1%/yr. to 8.9%/yr. over 20+year observation periods, depending on the degree of…

"Last year, almost twice as many green bonds as expected were issued, and in the first quarter of 2017, issuance stood at $21.76 billion, up nearly 42 percent from the same period last year. What’s more, a new report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that the green bond market could…

"But investors are even more attuned to ESG than advisors are, which makes ESG savvy a competitive advantage in today′s managed money world." [COMMENTARY] The reasons given for advisors to engage in ESG issues with their clients are many had the key ones are covered in this post. Furthermore, surveys and studies back the reasons…

"Compiling the 18th annual list of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens began with our research team documenting 260 data points of disclosure and performance measurements for the entire Russell 1000. The data was gleaned from publicly available information and each company was ranked in seven categories." [COMMENTARY] This is a great list compiled by people…

"[The prize] promotes greater awareness among young people throughout the world concerning the benefits of ethics in finance, and encourages high-quality management of banking, insurance and financial services based on trust and integrity. Launched in 2006 and now in its 6th Edition, the global competition for the Prize for Innovative Ideas for Ethics & Trust…

"Companies with the weakest ESG credentials, as captured in low QESG scores, tended to trade with the widest CDS [credit default spreads] spreads, Hermes found – indicating a higher risk of default." [COMMENTARY] It makes sense that companies with bad ESG characteristics are poor credit risks. And that’s why their financing costs are higher too.…

"The SDG Commitment Report 100… is the first-ever analysis to use annual reports as the sole metric to assess corporate commitments to the UN′s 17 sustainable development goals. Analysts argue that the corporate annual report, a legally-required document, is a higher—and better—standard to judge a company′s commitment to sustainability than any voluntary corporate responsibility report.…

cover banks, underwriters, companies, etc. [COMMENTARY] An interesting list, particularly for those in the investment industry. Provides good insight into the growing importance of the green bond market.Green Bonds Awards, Environmental Finance, press release, April 13, 2017, Environmental Finance, USA.

"In a bid to better understand the mindset of investors globally,EYrecently surveyed, for its ’Is your nonfinancial performance revealing the true value of your business to investors?’ report, part of the global investment community, which included 320 participants, of which one-third have more than $10 billion under management." [COMMENTARY]This EY survey is revealing in showing…

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"A new tool that allows investors, regulators, NGOs, corporates, and consumers to monitor the sustainability of over 4,000 of the world′s largest corporations has been launched today. Arabesque S-Ray™ is designed to streamline vast amounts of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information into one easy-to-use, smart application. Its unbiased diagnostic technology processes countless data points…

"Shifting the spotlight to medium-sized corporate sustainability leaders across Canada." [COMMENTARY] An interesting and useful list, particularly for Canadian ethical investors. It includes many public companies.2017 Future 40 Responsible Corporate Leaders in Canada ranking, April 6, 2017, Corporate Knights, Canada.

"A new academic study shows that negative news linking a company to environmental, social, or governance (ESG) issues increases credit risk. The study used data from RepRisk, a leading provider of ESG risk analytics and metrics. Researchers at ETH Zurich, MIT Sloan, and the University of Hamburg performed the research which was published by the…

"Portfolios were far from [Michael] Jantzi’s ambitions when he landed degrees from Canadian universities in economics and international affairs. He was going to help humanity via a career in the foreign service. But those jobs were scarce. He was partway through the process of getting licensed in securities sales when he had a revelation. If…

"We want the US economy to be energy efficient and powered by low-carbon energy. Cost-effective and innovative solutions can help us achieve these objectives. Failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk. But the right action now will create jobs and boost US competitiveness. We pledge to do our part, in our…

"Pope Francis may be only the world′s third-greatest leader (behind Theo Epstein and Jack Ma, according to Fortune), but his 2014 endorsement of impact investing was still a big deal. Last year, the Vatican doubled down at a second conference to explore how the church and faith-based institutions can ’harness the power of impact capital…

"Advisors are rapidly running out of excuses to avoid, environmental, social and governance investing (ESG)… A recent survey by State Street, voluminously titledThe Investing Enlightenment: How Principle and Pragmatism Can Create Sustainable Value through ESG, casts light on the increasing client demand of ESG investments and financial viability of integrating ESG factors into active investment…

"The largest responsible investment strategy globally is negative/exclusionary screening (US$15.02 trillion), followed by ESG integration (US$10.37 trillion) and corporate engagement/shareholder action (US$8.37 trillion). Negative screening is the largest strategy in Europe, while ESG integration leads in the United States, Canada, Australia/New Zealand and Asia ex Japan. Japan′s primary RI strategy is corporate engagement and shareholder…