Stewarding a just transition: Frontiers of practice in listed equities

This research examines how investors can support a just transition within listed equity portfolios. It provides guidance on active ownership and stakeholder engagement to ensure the shift to net zero supports workers and communities while managing financial risks.

This report explores how prioritising flexibility in energy systems can reduce costs and improve security. It moves beyond traditional infrastructure builds to analyse how demand-side response and storage can accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Rapid data centre expansion presents significant governance and environmental challenges. This paper proposes a more sustainable development pace, analysing how to balance technological growth with community needs and resource constraints to ensure long-term stability and social licence.

This paper analyses greenwashing through the lens of aspirational signalling, questioning whether it represents a burden or a potential benefit for organisational change. It explores how regulatory frameworks and communication strategies influence corporate sustainability commitments and accountability.

Designed for chief financial officers, this guide provides a framework for integrating nature-related risks into financial decision-making. It offers practical questions to help leaders analyse their organisation’s impact on biodiversity and align corporate strategy with emerging nature disclosure standards.

This resource explores how digital tools can enhance human rights due diligence across global supply chains. It provides guidance for organisations to leverage technology in identifying, preventing, and mitigating social risks while improving transparency and stakeholder engagement.

Financial institutions often overlook valuable insights within their own client data. This report demonstrates how to unlock this information to improve impact measurement and product development, helping organisations better serve marginalised customers and support inclusive economic growth.

UN Human Rights Settlements Blacklist Expansion

The United Nations Human Rights Office expanded its database of business enterprises involved in activities related to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank on September 26, 2026, adding 61 new firms to the list. The update identifies companies providing services, construction, or surveillance that support the maintenance and growth of settlements, which are considered illegal under international law. The database now includes a total of 214 companies, the majority of which are based in Israel, though several international entities are also listed. [Published: 26 Sep 2026]

📖 Integrating human rights due diligence (HRDD) in finance and investment📖 Navigating portfolio exposure to conflict-affected and high-risk areas: Practical guidance for investor engagement with companies

Norwegian renewable energy producer Scatec signed a three-year equity bridge loan facility totaling USD 150 million with The Arab Energy Fund on October 1, 2026. The facility supports the 900 MW Shadwan onshore wind project in Egypt and the "Energy Valley" project, which includes 1,950 MW of solar capacity and nearly 4 GWh of battery storage. This arrangement allows Scatec to fund equity injections while long-term non-recourse project financing is finalised with development finance institutions. [Published: 01 Oct 2026]

📖 Interactive data tool on Middle East energy reliance📖 Clean economic corridors in Africa: Integrating energy, industry, and transport for low carbon growth

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) signed a framework agreement on September 30, 2026, to scale sustainable industrial transformation across Latin America and the Caribbean. The agreement includes a specific Programme for Country Partnership (PCP) for Suriname, signed on September 22, 2026, which focuses on industrial decarbonisation and modernisation. The partnership aims to co-finance projects and develop financial mechanisms that accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy for regional industries. [Published: 30 Sep 2026]

📖 Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance: Portfolio📖 Global Project Tracker

A coalition of 21 Republican state attorneys general, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, sent a formal letter to the SEC on September 24, 2026, demanding scrutiny of Moody’s Corporation. The officials allege that Moody’s relied on inaccurate climate projections in an August 2026 report and that its ESG commitments create undisclosed conflicts of interest. This action represents an escalation in the regulatory clash over the use of sustainability metrics in financial risk assessment. [Published: 30 Sep 2026]

📖 Trump climate endangerment stories📖 CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability

On September 26, 2026, the Sustainability Standards Board of Japan and the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group held a joint outreach event in Brussels to discuss sustainability reporting standards for non-EU undertakings. The discussions focused on ensuring that Japanese companies subject to both SSBJ and EU requirements can meet their obligations with reduced reporting burdens through aligned standards. This development advances the international consistency of ESG disclosures and helps prevent duplicative reporting requirements for firms operating across both jurisdictions. [Published: 26 Sep 2026]

📖 ESRS–ISSB standards: Interoperability guidance📖 2026 Sustainable investment trends

Woodside Energy is currently engaged in a $300 million compensation battle with the Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation Limited (NYFL) over the use of traditional lands in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Negotiations between the ASX 200-listed gas producer and the Traditional Owners have reached a stalemate after Woodside offered $87 million over 12 years, a figure the NYFL claims is $303 million below a fair settlement for the use of land where sacred sites were cleared for the Karratha Gas Plant. The dispute highlights ongoing tensions over the adequacy of historical land access agreements and the scale of compensation required for the long-term impact of resource projects on Indigenous cultural heritage.

📖 Posters & Resources – Reconciliation Australia📖 Stewardship in the critical minerals value chain: Assessing sustainability performance and risks in Asia

Proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis and AI-driven sustainability data provider Clarity AI announced a merger on September 28, 2026, with the transaction having closed on September 23, 2024. The combined company aims to integrate corporate governance, investment analysis, and sustainability data into a single platform to help institutional investors manage engagement and voting workflows. The merger specifically leverages Clarity AI’s strong European network and Glass Lewis’s presence in the U.S. to address evolving European regulatory and stewardship requirements. [Published: 28 Sep 2026]

📖 Rate the raters series📖 Measuring companies’ environmental and social impacts: An analysis of ESG ratings and SDG scores

On September 25, 2026, the UK Financial Conduct Authority published Handbook Notice 144, finalising the removal of mandatory product-level climate reporting for asset managers and insurers. This reform eliminates the requirement for detailed public climate reports for approximately 9,000 individual products, saving the industry an estimated £20 million annually. The change shifts the focus toward entity-level disclosures to reduce administrative burdens and complexity. [Published: 29 Sep 2026]

📖 SUSREG annual report series📖 What do sustainability disclosures disclose?

The Pension Paradox: Deliberative Session

A session exploring the contradictions and systemic challenges facing pension funds in a sustainable transition.

Webinar exploring clean energy transition strategies for local government authorities.

A session discussing the risks associated with solar geoengineering and the argument for a non-use agreement.

A policy masterclass exploring how fiduciary duty for pension funds must evolve to address climate transition, nature loss, and systemic market risks.

A webinar reviewing a decade of consumer research on seafood sustainability, ocean health, and conscious consumerism in North America.

The 13th Forum focusing on investing for energy security, transition, and resilience in a changing global economy.

Safeena Husain discusses community-led change and strategies for reaching marginalised populations to transform educational outcomes in India.

An in-person session exploring the implications of AI for corporate governance and investment decision-making.

Four pathways to a resilient economy within planetary boundaries

This research story explores four transformative pathways to transition the global economy into a resilient state that operates within planetary boundaries.

An analysis of Uruguay’s sovereign Sustainability-Linked Bond (SLB) performance following its 2026 sustainability report, focusing on emissions intensity and forest area KPIs.

This article explores the systemic risks and lack of genuine resilience within global food supply chains in the face of environmental degradation.

Explores how AI is interacting with existing labour market inequalities and the role of government in shaping the future of work.

The Philippines initiates a national roadmap to combat modern slavery and human trafficking to become an Alliance 8.7 Pathfinder country.

Opinion piece reflecting on the trends and outcomes of the 2026 proxy voting season.

VC firms are investing in cybersecurity startups like Ethical AI and CodeProtect to mitigate data leakage and ethical risks in artificial intelligence.

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