Library | ESG issues

Purpose & Mission

An organisation’s purpose defines its core reason for existence, guiding its strategies and operations. In the finance industry, aligning corporate purpose with sustainable practices involves developing innovative financial products, engaging in policy advocacy, and directing capital toward sustainable investments. This alignment fosters long-term value creation and supports the transition to a sustainable economy.

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The Other Half of the Transition: Why Livestock Deserves as Much Attention as Energy

This article highlights the major climate impact of livestock and explains why the absence of clear roadmaps, metrics, and financing strategies has left the sector far behind the energy transition. It proposes policy reforms, mitigation hierarchies, and justice-centered pathways to unlock effective and equitable change.
Article
8 December 2025

Drivers of behavioral change and non change in transition times

International Panel on Behavior Change (IPBC)
The Drivers of Behavioural Change and Non-Change in Transition Times report, published by IpBc/GIECo in 2025, examines psychological, social, and organisational factors influencing why individuals and institutions act—or fail to act—on sustainability. Drawing on behavioural science, it identifies mindsets, emotions, implicit cognition, and systemic barriers as key determinants of ecological and climate-related behavioural shifts.
Research
7 July 2025

Sustainable development report 2025

Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
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.
Benchmark/series
26 June 2025

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.
Research
1 March 2023

Principles for an effective wellbeing budget

Centre for Policy Development (CPD)
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.
Research
13 September 2022

ESG: A panacea for market power?

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
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.
Research
4 April 2023

Impact-linked finance: Learning from eight years and ideas for the future

Roots of Impact
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.
Research
24 June 2024

Oxford university press

Academic Institutions
Oxford University Press (OUP) is a global academic and educational publisher. It operates as a department of the University of Oxford, producing textbooks, scholarly works, English language resources and reference works. OUP emphasises digital innovation, sustainability commitments, and broad international reach in research and education.
Organisation
1 research item

How the concept of “Regenerative Good Growth” could help increase public and policy engagement and speed transitions to Net Zero and nature recovery

MDPI
The report introduces the concept of Regenerative Good Growth (RGG) as an alternative to extractive GDP-focused models. It argues that economic progress should regenerate five renewable capitals, natural, social, human, cultural, and sustainable physical, while ensuring fairness, engagement, and reduced environmental harm. RGG promotes inclusive, low-carbon, and nature-positive transitions through diverse public participation.
Research
22 January 2025

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Academic Institutions
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a global research university specialising in economics, politics, law, social policy and data science. Based in London, LSE offers undergraduate, graduate and executive degrees, and leads in social science research, public policy impact and global academic partnerships.
Organisation
2 research items

Grantham Foundation

Finance / Corporate Focused NGOs & Think Tanks
Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment supports climate innovation, environmental research and impact investing. Through its grant and investment programmes (such as its venture arm, Neglected Climate Opportunities), it backs early-stage technologies in carbon capture, clean energy, soil health and ecosystem conservation globally.
Organisation
1 research item

Exit versus voice

This report summarises research comparing the effectiveness of “exit” strategies, such as divestment and boycotts, with “voice” strategies, such as shareholder engagement, in influencing corporate behaviour. It concludes that when most investors are even slightly socially responsible, engagement leads to socially optimal outcomes, whereas exit rarely does and can reduce welfare.
Research
28 October 2022

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Government Sponsored / Multilateral Organisations
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is a UN intergovernmental body that supports developing countries in trade, investment, finance and technology. It delivers data-driven policy analysis, technical cooperation and global consensus building to help countries integrate into the world economy and advance sustainable development.
Organisation
1 research item

Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries monitors a world out of balance

This report presents an updated “Doughnut” framework, tracking 35 social and ecological indicators from 2000–2022. Findings show only modest progress on reducing deprivation, while ecological overshoot has worsened, with wealthier nations driving most impacts. The study highlights stark inequalities and calls for regenerative, distributive economic approaches.
Research
1 October 2025

One Planet Network

Government Sponsored / Multilateral Organisations
One Planet Network is a global multi-stakeholder partnership advancing sustainable consumption and production (SCP). It implements the 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) through six thematic programmes. The network acts as a knowledge hub and convenes governments, businesses, civil society and experts on SCP and SDG 12.
Organisation
2 research items

Life Cycle Initiative

Government Sponsored / Multilateral Organisations
Life Cycle Initiative stewards global standards, tools and training for life-cycle assessment (LCA) and life-cycle thinking. It supports practitioners, policymakers and industry in applying LCA across plastics, textiles, tourism and construction. The initiative develops data networks, e-learning modules and hotspot analysis frameworks to advance sustainable decision making.
Organisation
1 research item
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