In December 2018, the world celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Two of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact are derived directly from the Universal Declaration. The United Nations Global Compact is advocating for businesses to stand up for human rights, promoting uptake of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Companies and institutional investors are being asked to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their business activities, asset allocation and investment decisions. The SDG investment case tries to answer the question: Why are the SDGs relevant to institutional investors?

Sustainalytics is a global leader in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) research and ratings. Today, Sustainalytics supports hundreds of the world’s foremost investors who incorporate ESG insights into their investment processes.

Understanding how investors are applying the growing supply of corporate ESG information into their investment decision-making is increasingly important. This report aims to help investors navigate the rapidly changing responsible investing landscape by developing a typology that classifies approaches to environmental, social and governance (ESG) integration.

Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is the world's leading proponent of responsible investment. It works to understand the investment implications of environmental, social and governance factors and to support its network of investor signatories in incorporating these factors into their investment and ownership decisions.

Investment Leaders Group (ILG) is a project to help shift the investment chain towards responsible, long-term value creation, such that economic, social and environmental sustainability are delivered as an outcome of the investment process alongside satisfactory, long-term investment returns. Jointly conceived by the University of Cambridge and Natixis Asset Management.

This paper informs asset owners about the current state of sustainable investing for US institutional investors. Drawing on the experiences of over 100 asset owners and investment professional as well as evidence from WRI’s own endowment the paper constructs a detailed outline of sustainable investing. It highlights the underlying motives and drivers, governance structures, relevant data and standards, investment vehicles, and key barriers that shape opportunities for implementation.

This article defines responsible investment, highlights the ways in which it is currently applied to managing assets, and outlines the key forces driving its growth. Additionally, it discusses common misconceptions about responsible investment.

This report is intended to help investors understand how climate change can influence their investment performance in both the short and long term. The research uses scenarios from the Cambridge Econometrics transition-risk climate model, to consider three scenarios; 2⁰C, 3⁰C and 4⁰C temperature increases, with evolved pathways and magnitude.

Mercer is an American human resources consulting firm that aims to redefine the world of work, reshape retirement and investment outcomes, and unlock real health and well-being. For more than 70 years, Mercer has been providing advice and solutions to build healthier and more sustainable futures for clients, colleagues and communities.

This white paper highlights whether integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into the investment process has had a positive effect on corporate financial performance (CFP), whether the effect was stable over time, how a link between ESG and CFP differs across regions and asset classes and whether any specific subcategory of E, S or G had a dominant influence on CFP.

Focusing Capital on the Long Term Global (FCLTGlobal) is dedicated to developing practical tools and approaches that encourage long-term behaviours in business and investment decision-making. The focus of their work is on the financial needs and ambitions of everyday savers, whose own long-term goals are often lost in the complexity of the financial markets.

DWS Group, formerly, Deutsche Asset and Wealth Management, is a leading asset manager with €767 billion in assets under management (at 2019). They are headquartered in Germany and operate globally, serving a range of traditional and alternative investment capabilities to institutional and retail clients worldwide.

This research focuses on providing a framework for institutional investors to improve long-term outcomes for their portfolios, their investee companies and for their stakeholders. This framework is comprised of five core action areas: investment beliefs, risk appetite statement, benchmarking process, evaluations and incentives, and investment mandates.

This report is designed to help asset owners and asset managers overcome their modern-day challenges as we stand on the cusp of a period of significant transformation in world economies, politics and capital markets. It explores practical solutions and processes to enable investors to become sustainable investors.