Library | ESG issues
Law, Regulation & Compliance
The evolving legal and regulatory landscape financial organisations regarding Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations comprises both voluntary frameworks and mandatory regulations. Voluntary initiatives, such as the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), provide guidelines for companies to disclose climate-related financial risks and opportunities. In contrast, mandatory regulations like the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) require financial market participants to disclose how they integrate ESG factors into their investment decisions.
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Asset manager capture
This research examines "reverse capture", where government actors pressure large asset managers to advance political agendas. It analyses how expanding presidential power and market concentration enable this dynamic, using the ESG retreat as an illustration. The authors recommend narrowing fiduciary duties to insulate investment stewardship from political interference.
Corporate governance scandals in India’s banking and financial services sector
This research examines corporate governance failures in India’s financial sector, focusing on scandals at YES Bank, IndusInd Bank, and IL&FS. It analyses the impact of 'star' promoters, gatekeeper failures, and regulatory fragmentation, advocating for enhanced standards of care for directors and a wholesale reconsideration of sector-specific governance frameworks.
Regulating artificial intelligence in finance: Lessons from Singapore
This research analyses Singapore's multi-layered approach to regulating artificial intelligence in finance. It evaluates frameworks like the FEAT Principles and Project MindForge while identifying risks such as deepfakes and bias. The paper recommends establishing a dedicated regulatory sandbox and shared responsibility frameworks to manage evolving technological and third-party risks.
Three ways to move a company: A typology of best-practice investor engagement
This research examines three distinct models of investor engagement through case studies of BP, Honeywell and Bâloise. It highlights how financial-materiality framing and structural shifts in stewardship, including the fragmentation of 'Big Three' voters and SEC regulatory changes, are reshaping corporate governance and activist strategies for 2026 and 2027.
The impact of climate change on human health and pharmaceuticals
This research review examines how climate change and extreme weather increase morbidity across major organ systems. It highlights how rising temperatures and humidity compromise pharmaceutical stability and efficacy, particularly for vulnerable populations. The report calls for updated clinical guidelines and climate-resilient pharmaceutical regulations to safeguard public health.
Financing Nature: A mid-decade update: From isolated progress to implementation at scale
This report updates the global biodiversity financing landscape, identifying a US$1.317 trillion annual funding gap. It highlights that nature-negative flows reach US$7.3 trillion annually. Key recommendations include urgent subsidy reform, scaling nature-based solutions, and leveraging technological innovation to transition from isolated progress to large-scale implementation.
Climate-related risks, opportunities and impacts – Identification to quantification: An approach for identifying and assessing climate-related risks and opportunities and their associated anticipated impacts and anticipated financial impacts
This guidance for New Zealand climate reporting entities details a five-phase framework to identify and assess climate-related risks and opportunities. It provides a structured approach for moving from qualitative impact assessment to the quantification of financial impacts, supporting compliance with climate standards and strengthening strategic resilience.
Manufactured consent: Stopping the harm from manipulative lead generation
Lead generation in Australia's digital economy has become a significant source of consumer harm, involving the harvesting of contact details for sales pitches. This report examines manipulative practices that manufacture consent to avoid consumer protections, highlighting the $1 billion loss from the First Guardian and Shield Master Funds collapse.
State of sustainable business 2026
This 2026 research identifies a shift toward a pragmatic era in corporate sustainability, dominated by regulatory compliance. Key findings reveal a disconnect between sustainability teams and executives, stagnant budgets, and a focus on direct operations. AI adoption is rising for reporting, though formal governance remains nascent.
Oil spill 2: How fossil fuel interests are polluting the US's carbon market rulemaking
This report investigates the influence of fossil fuel companies and trade associations on US carbon market regulations. It details extensive lobbying in California and representative roles at the federal level, arguing that these efforts maintain low-quality credits to delay genuine decarbonisation and enable greenwashing.
Corruption perceptions index series
The Corruption Perceptions Index is a global benchmark series assessing perceived public sector corruption levels across 182 countries and territories. Produced by Transparency International, the index draws on independent data to provide comparative scores, assisting stakeholders in identifying governance risks and evaluating the effectiveness of anti-corruption reforms and institutional integrity.
ESG ratings and the French Duty of Vigilance Law
An analysis of the 2017 French Duty of Vigilance Law’s impact on corporate ESG and financial performance. Using difference-in-differences analysis, the study finds a significant negative association with social and environmental ESG scores, suggesting the law reduces rating "gaming" or prompts the production of more realistic risk disclosures.
Taskforce on official standards and the Green Bond Principles. Phase 1: Comparison of the Green Bond Principles and the European Green Bond Standard
This report compares the voluntary Green Bond Principles with the regulatory European Green Bond Standard. It identifies high proximity and synergy between the frameworks, providing guidance on how issuers can navigate both sets of requirements to enhance transparency and facilitate global investor recognition in the sustainable finance market.
Realities of artisanal and small-scale copper and cobalt mining in Lualaba province, DRC
IPIS and IBGDH mapped 51 artisanal copper and cobalt mines in Lualaba, DRC, employing an estimated 109,000 miners. The study finds few viable designated zones, cooperative elite capture, tension with industrial concessions, unsafe conditions, child labour and extortion by state agents, and recommends creating legal spaces for artisanal miners.
The Omnibus I Directive and the EU sustainable finance trilemma: Sustainability, simplification and harmonization
This research analyses Directive (EU) 2026/470 (Omnibus I Directive), which simplifies the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. It examines how narrowing regulatory scope and removing substantive obligations impacts the balance between sustainability, simplification, and harmonisation within the European Union's financial framework.
Liability and pricing of dual-use AI
This research analyses AI provider liability for dual-use models enabling both cyberattacks and defence. It demonstrates that while liability can improve welfare by reducing contest resources through higher prices, it may increase harm by weakening precautions. Market competition and guardrail incentives significantly influence optimal liability shares.
