ESG Insights

Keep up to date with the most important developments and trends across the global sustainability landscape.

Research & Insights

RESEARCH

Pull Your Weight

An ESG Performance Score Weighted Strategy Evaluation.

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RESEARCH February 11, 2022
Pull Your Weight*
An ESG Performance Score Weighted Strategy Evaluation.
RESEARCH February 11, 2022
The New Global Baseline?*
*A Year of ESG Standards in Review.
RESEARCH February 11, 2022
Closing the climate data gap*
*Explaining the ECB’s new climate-related indicators.
RESEARCH February 11, 2022
What’s your fund’s ESG strategy?*
*The SEC wants to know.

The Political Climate

*The US Election’s Impact on ESG.

ESG Policy Digest: October 2024

In this monthly edition of the Policy Digest, we explore regional policy developments spanning the entire lifecycle of non-financial reporting – from ESG data to the verification and assurance of sustainability reports.

ESG Policy Digest: September 2024

September's edition of the Policy Digest features key regulatory developments surrounding the global baselines set by the EU CSRD and the ISSB Standards.

ESG Policy Digest: August 2024

The August 2024 edition of the ESG Policy Digest covers a wide range of policy tools and solutions emerging worldwide to power sustainability-driven capital markets.

sustainability standards - esg policy digest

ESG Policy Digest: July 2024

Global regulators and standard setters are actively working to unravel the complexities of the ESG 'alphabet soup' while addressing the practical challenges related to the quality and credibility of sustainability data.

ESG Policy Digest: June 2024

The June 2024 edition of the Policy Digest explores the latest policy updates across the globe. Stay informed with these crucial updates and many others that are shaping global sustainability practices today.

ESG Policy Digest: May 2024

In this month’s Policy Digest, we observe efforts to enhance interoperability and establish equivalence for sustainability reporting across jurisdictions.

ESG Policy Digest: April 2024

Global regulators must steadfastly maintain the founding principles of sustainability regulation.

The SEC’s Climate Rule*

*What it Means for Companies and Investors.

Filling in the blanks: 2024 update

*Estimating corporate emissions using machine learning.

sustainability reporting standards - policy digest march 2024

ESG Policy Digest: March 2024

This month's Policy Digest covers both triumphs and setbacks in the shaping of sustainability reporting standards and regulations.

Sustainability information - february policy digest

ESG Policy Digest: February 2024

As organizations gear up for a fresh reporting year, regulators and standard-setting bodies are actively working to provide enhanced guidelines, with the aim of facilitating the disclosure of usable sustainability information.

Todd Cort on the links between sustainability metrics and financial performance*

Why the debate continues.

ESG Policy Digest: January 2024

The sustainable finance policy and regulation landscape continued to evolve and mature at the end of 2023 and the hope is that policymakers double down on the impetus to bolster sustainable investment this year

Beyond 1.5C – January 2024 Update

The urgency for climate action.

ESG Book Response to Targeted consultation on the implementation of the Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation

SFDR.

ESG Policy Digest: December 2023

In this month’s Policy Digest, we dive into various developments that reflect the evolving status of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

How Generative AI Enables Corporate ESG Reporting

In partnership with C3.AI.

Damilola Ogunbiyi on Clean Energy in Emerging Markets

Anticipating COP28.

ESG Policy Digest: November 2023

In October 2023, there was a noticeable uptick in ESG policy developments worldwide.

Climate Disclosure Laws with Increasingly Long Arms

How the new Emissions Disclosure requirements in California and the EU will apply to companies worldwide.

SFDR Consultation: Paving the way to formalise EU fund labeling?*

*An unnecessary overhaul, or much needed reform?

ESG Policy Digest: October 2023

In the dynamic landscape of global ESG policies, September 2023 witnessed pivotal developments across continents.

Tipping the scales

Is the clean energy revolution really keeping 1.5 alive?

Policy Digest September - Policy Development

ESG Policy Digest: September 2023

This month’s policy digest highlights salient sustainability-related policy developments in Europe and Asia-Pacific.

ESG Policy Digest: July

Global sustainability reporting is entering a promising era of alignment following the issuance of the IFRS S1 and S2 standards last month.

Challenging road ahead

*Analysis of EU Taxonomy reporting reveals the vast majority of companies remain unaligned to sustainable outcomes.

Are markets ready for ISSB?

*Bridging the gap between current sustainability reporting practices and ISSB requirements.

Beyond 1.5°C

*A sense of urgency.

ESG Policy Digest: June

With the 30th June SFDR PAI reporting deadline looming, June 2023 has proven to be a decisive month for the evolution of ESG regulation globally.

The next ESG reporting challenge

emerging markets and multi-national conglomerates

Surprise Package

*The Regulatory Reckoning of ESG Ratings, Shaping the EU Taxonomy and Defining Transition Finance

Scope 3

*Is the magic number

ESG Policy Digest: May

Last month, the EU Parliament proposed stringent minimum requirements for verifying and communicating green claims, explicitly banning carbon offsetting-based claims.

SFDR Implementation Countdown: Global Implications for Asset Managers

Sustainability is no longer a niche concern but a crucial aspect of modern business practices.

The role of nature in the corporate climate transition

with WWF-UK CEO Tanya Steele

ESG as common sense

Pioneer Georg Kell on the future of ESG, with a view from the past

The ESG Policy Digest: April

Following a long and protracted run up to sustainability reporting deadlines, standard-setting bodies and regulators alike are introducing clarifications and phasing in implementation to ensure proportionality of compliance burden.

The ESG Data Market

A US Perspective

The ESG Policy Digest: March

In March, the IPCC released its sixth assessment report which illustrates a critical need to accelerate climate policy action due to a ‘rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all’.

Net-Zero Industry Act

What You Need to Know

Sustainable investing

According to UBS’ Amantia Muhedini

The Next Frontier in Sustainability Reporting

*Preserving Biodiversity

ESG policy digest

Regulatory developments that shape the future of ESG and Climate

The ESG Policy Digest: February 2023

In the fleeting month of February it may be easy to overlook a flurry of regulatory activity that signals the continuity and confluence of ESG in policymaking matters.

ESG Quick Takes 10 – Making an impact through climate VC investing

With EIP’s Peter Fox-Penner.

The ESG Policy Digest: January 2023

2023 marks a considerable shift in priorities at the intersection of politics and business.

The Global Regulation Race

*A Year of ESG Regulations in Review

COP27

*What it means for corporates and the financial sector.

Sustainable Finance Regulatory Update: December 2022

In 2022, policy became a vehicle to reorient capital flows through multiple routes, at different levels – international and domestic.

ESG Quick Takes 9 – Sustainability goals: a decade of delivery.

How Google Cloud is helping corporates with their sustainability journey

Sustainable Finance Regulatory Update: November 2022

COP 27 set the stage for lofty climate change aspirations to be realized.

ESG Quick Takes 8 – COP27 Debrief: What investors should know.

COP27 meetings in Egypt just wrapped up last week, and much has been discussed.

COP26

*and its global implications.

Sustainable Finance Regulatory Update: October 2022 

In less than a week, we will find out who hit the snooze button on these timebound commitments and who was able to make the grade.

Mind the carbon gap

*Estimating corporate emissions using machine learning.

Always check the label

*Why ESG and climate funds are not always what they seem.

Sustainable Finance Regulatory Update: September 2022 

World leaders and the private sector converged at Climate Week New York to discuss insights on finding growth in challenging times.

Uncharted waters

*The status quo of water-related corporate disclosure.

One Draft at a Time

*Can the ISSB Establish a Global Baseline in Sustainability Reporting?

Fifty shades of green

*SFDR through the lens of ESG Book. Portfolio Level Solutions

Sustainable Finance Regulatory Update: August 2022

U.S. President Biden's approval of a landmark bill providing funding for climate and energy innovation over the next decade

ESG Quick Takes 7: US Climate and Energy Policy is behind

In this episode, we talk about the inflation reduction act which was approved in August 2022.

ESG Quick Takes 6: Investing on a Net-Zero Emissions Budget is Impossible

In this episode, we put the ambition of decarbonising the world in context of the recent US Supreme Court’s decision to curb the power of the EPA.

Heating Up: the SEC Rules on Climate Disclosure

*Placing the latest climate disclosure policy initiatives in context.

ESG has the ‘S’ Factor

*The Rise of Socially-Driven Design.

Sustainable Finance Regulatory Update: July 2022

This month’s regulatory roundup indicates continued concerns around sustainability issues extending beyond the ‘E’ in ESG.

ESG Quick Takes 5: All the Problems with ESG Investing

For episode 5 of our ESG Quick Takes podcast, we explore ESG from a capital market perspective.

Machine Learning Models Don’t Work

*Without Good Design.

Sustainable Finance Regulatory Update: June 2022

In this month’s regulatory roundup, the EU comes one step closer to finalizing mandatory corporate sustainability disclosure rules and setting quotas for women on corporate boards.

ESG Quick Takes 4: Decarbonizing heavy industry

For our first Quick Takes, we look into how we talk about climate change, and how that changed over time.

Beyond The Acronym

*A Guide on Navigating Global Sustainability Standards and Frameworks.

Life in Plastic

*Not Fantastic.
The Rise of Chemical Pollution.

More Than A Buzzword

*Assessing the financial transparency effects of corporate gender diversity.
2022 Update

ESG Soup

*Simplifying Sustainability indicator Mapping.

Spotlight on the EU Taxonomy

Why 2022 is a critical year for the roll-out of the EU Taxonomy

ESG Quick Takes 3: Can crypto be sustainable?

Exploring clean energy solutions for crypto miners and exchanges.

Why the language of climate change is evolving

The power of words in the net-zero transition.

Should ESG data be a free public good?

The case for open access for all.

The Proof is in the Textual Pudding

Finding financial signals in language data

Why ESG Data is Changing

Sustainability scores are no longer sufficient. The future of ESG data is customisation.

Throwing the net-zero baby out with the bathwater?

Why it’s time we engaged in a more grown-up conversation about the practicalities of a successful climate transition.

At The Crossroads

We are fast running out of time to avoid climate catastrophe. Why is more not being done?

Temperature Score

Less than a quarter of the world’s biggest companies are on course to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050