The report explores blockchain technology's relevance to responsible investment, highlighting its potential to enhance transparency, automate processes, and improve ESG data tracking. It discusses blockchain's implications for shareholder voting, decentralised systems, financial inclusivity, and sustainability. Practical challenges, including regulation, technical integration, and energy use, are also addressed. .

This report explores collective investor impact mechanisms in secondary markets, focusing on collaborative engagement and coordinated price signalling. It examines how collective actions by investors, such as joint shareholder engagements and price signals, can influence corporate behaviour more effectively than individual efforts, with practical recommendations for successful implementation.

The report analyses how campaigns by major institutional investors significantly boosted gender diversity on corporate boards. From 2017 to 2019, these initiatives increased female directorships by encouraging firms to broaden candidate searches and reduce the focus on executive experience, indicating impactful, non-tokenistic change.

This report investigates whether green investors influence corporate carbon emissions by either divesting from polluters or engaging with management through stock ownership. The findings suggest green investors significantly reduce emissions through active engagement, whereas divestment strategies may counterproductively increase emissions. The report highlights private markets’ potential to address environmental issues independently of government regulation.

This briefing explores how institutional investors are moving beyond the binary choice of engagement versus divestment in response to climate-related financial risks. It highlights how divestment complements engagement strategies, enabling investors to maintain credible influence over corporate policies while protecting portfolios from climate risks.

This report highlights the SPRING framework, aimed at integrating sustainability within private banking. It presents findings from a pilot study, emphasising the need for private banks to incorporate ESG in operations, improve risk management, foster governance, and engage clients on sustainability preferences. The report also provides actionable recommendations for private banks to drive positive environmental and social impact.

The toolkit helps investors identify, assess, and manage nature-related risks and opportunities in their portfolios. It provides guidance on how to engage with stakeholders, evaluate investment impacts on nature, and explore emerging tools for nature-positive outcomes. The toolkit also highlights strategies to mitigate risks and seize nature-related investment opportunities.

Voting Matters are benchmark-series reports by ShareAction evaluating the proxy voting behaviour of asset managers on environmental and social issues. This report analyses the voting patterns of major asset managers to determine their commitment to responsible investment practices.

Are ESG projects compatible with shareholder value? Managers face a challenge when they decide which ESG projects to select with limited clarity on allowed investments. The paper uses MSCI ESG ratings and Glassdoor employee ratings to demonstrate that high-calibre managers put their resources towards ESG projects and thereby enhance shareholder value.

This toolkit provides practical guidance for institutional investors to assess and address human rights risks within investment activities. With tools, case studies and standard-setting activities, this investor toolkit encourages proactive management of human rights risks.

This report analyses the role of company law in achieving sustainable development, focusing on the dominance of shareholder primacy and its impact on corporate decision-making. It evaluates barriers to integrating sustainability, and provides possible ways forward. An essential comparative analysis for academics and professionals interested in promoting sustainable business practices.

This report explores the approach to climate change risk by UK's largest master trusts. It examines 16 master trusts' ESG policies and practices, focusing on the work of the trustees and their engagement with investee companies on ESG practices and risk management. The report draws attention to some positive developments, showing that some schemes have incorporated ESG and/or climate change factors into their asset allocation strategy.

The authors of this paper argue that institutional investors need to move beyond Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), and consider a wider risk management strategy. The paper outlines the potential failings of MPT and suggests ways for institutional investors to better align with the needs of society and the economy.

This report explores the implications of behavioural science for effective climate policy and focuses on eight main sectors, such as diet change, adaptation and aviation, with recommendations for further empirical research. The report underscores the importance of understanding human behaviour and how insights can be used in climate policy development for effective implementation.

This report shares insights from the Climate Safe Lending Fellowship, a programme for banking professionals committed to accelerating the decarbonisation of their institutions. The report offers practical approaches and tools used by climate intrapreneurs to help their banks transition toward climate-safe banking.

This speech examines the evolution of corporate governance, focusing on the shift towards shareholder primacy. It discusses the incentive problems this model creates, such as short-termism and excessive risk-taking, and their economic consequences. The speech concludes by exploring potential policy responses to mitigate these issues.