Library | ESG issues
Governance
The governance pillar in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) refers to the systems, policies, and practices that ensure an organisation is managed responsibly and ethically. It includes issues such as board structure, reporting & disclosures, shareholders & voting, and risk management. Strong governance reduces risks, enhances trust, and supports long-term business sustainability.
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An integrative approach to responsible investment
This report by First Sentier Investors outlines a holistic approach to responsible investment that integrates environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. It argues that considering synergies and trade-offs across ESG issues enables better risk management and long-term value creation. Case studies illustrate practical applications across supply chains, infrastructure and resource sectors.
Sustainable Finance Roundup September 2025: Policy, Markets, and Momentum
This month’s sustainability roundup covers Australia’s new 2035 emissions target, ASIC’s final climate disclosure guidance, and Fortescue’s revised transition plan. It also examines global developments, from ISSB reporting updates and TNFD nature disclosures to Woodside’s gas extension, rising physical climate risks, and evolving ESG policy debates shaping corporate and investor responses.
Climate-related and other emerging risks disclosures: Assessing financial statement materiality using AASB Practice Statement 2
This report summarises guidance from the AASB and AUASB on applying AASB Practice Statement 2 to climate-related and other emerging risks. It explains how such risks may be material to financial statements, outlines related accounting and auditing considerations, and emphasises the need for transparent disclosure and investor-relevant information.
Final report of the expert panel on sustainable finance: Mobilizing finance for sustainable growth
This report summarises recommendations from Canada’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance to mobilise private capital for low-carbon, resilient growth: improve market clarity and standards (incl. TCFD), build national climate data (C3IA), and develop financing solutions such as green and transition instruments, infrastructure investment, and building retrofits, supported by enabling policy.
Government of Canada
Canada.ca is the official website of Government of Canada. It provides access to government services, benefits, programs and information on topics such as immigration, taxes, health, environment, business and more. With authoritative and up-to-date content, Canada.ca is a central portal for Canadian government services and policies.
2019 Hutley opinion: Climate change and directors’ duties
This report summarises legal opinions by Noel Hutley SC and Sebastian Hartford Davis for the Centre for Policy Development, concluding that Australian company directors must assess, disclose and manage foreseeable climate risks. It highlights growing regulatory and investor expectations, making climate oversight a key element of directors’ duties and liability exposure.
Responsible investment benchmark report Australia 2024
This report summarises the growth and performance of Australia’s responsible investment market in 2023, with RI assets reaching A$1.6 trillion, or 41% of total managed funds. It highlights strengthened ESG integration, transparency, and stewardship, reflecting increasing investor demand, regulatory developments, and alignment with global sustainability standards.
Responsible investment benchmark report Aotearoa New Zealand 2024
This report summarises the 2024 benchmarking of New Zealand’s responsible investment market, assessing 70 investment managers using RIAA’s Responsible Investment Scorecard. It finds NZ$207 billion in responsible assets, representing 56% of total funds, and highlights expanding ESG integration, transparency, stewardship, and impact investing alongside strengthened regulation and market maturity.
Fiduciary duty in the 21st century final report
This report summarises how integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors is now a fundamental part of fiduciary duty. It finds that ESG issues are financially material, embedded in global regulation, and essential for prudent, loyal and transparent investment decisions by institutional investors.
Sustainable development report 2025
The Sustainable Development Report is a benchmark series that tracks global and national progress toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Produced annually by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and partners, it presents the SDG Index and Dashboards, offering comparable data, analysis, and trends for all UN member states.
From values to value: The commensuration of sustainability reporting and the crowding out of morality
This study examines the evolution of sustainability reporting in the Netherlands, showing how moral intentions of corporate responsibility became standardised and financialised. Through commensuration, sustainability shifted from ethical values to measurable economic indicators, leading to a “crowding out of morality” as reporting prioritised comparability, performance, and investor relevance over genuine moral purpose.
Principles for an effective wellbeing budget
This report summarises principles for developing a wellbeing-focused federal budget in Australia. It recommends integrating wellbeing goals into policy and budgeting, strengthening data and accountability, investing in long-term and preventative analysis, enhancing public service capability, and ensuring ongoing community engagement to guide decision-making and measure progress.
The Real Tragedy of the Horizon
Mark Carney’s “tragedy of the horizon” warned that markets would act too late on climate risks. A decade later, this article argues that framing climate change as a financial risk has misdirected efforts—what’s needed now is coordinated action to create investable markets, especially in emerging economies.
The future of emissions
This report proposes using firm-level emission futures contracts to better measure and incentivise real environmental impact from ESG investing. It finds that current backward-looking ESG ratings fail to predict emission reductions and may misallocate capital to higher-polluting firms. Market-based, forward-looking emission futures could improve measurement, incentives, and investment impact.
ESG: A panacea for market power?
This paper, “ESG: A Panacea for Market Power?” by Philip Bond and Doron Levit (2024), examines how firms’ social (“S”) ESG policies affect market competition. It finds that moderate ESG actions such as fairer treatment of workers or customers can reduce market power and improve welfare, while overly aggressive policies harm both firms and stakeholders. The authors show that competition in ESG policies among socially minded firms can deliver efficient, welfare-maximising outcomes, linking ESG adoption to market structure, corporate governance models, and executive incentives.
Impact-linked finance: Learning from eight years and ideas for the future
This report by Roots of Impact (2024) reviews eight years of experience implementing Impact-Linked Finance (ILF), a structuring approach that rewards measurable social or environmental outcomes by linking financial terms to impact performance. It outlines ILF’s evolution, design principles, effectiveness benchmarks, and opportunities to scale through collaboration and new impact-linked instruments.