A research study conducted by the Barclays Research team seeking to assess the link between environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings and credit portfolio performance. In addition, the report provides a general overview over sustainable investing and the top trends driving the rapid rise of its popularity.

The Powered Ascent report is the second in the T100 Impact Portfolio Series. The T100 Project is a longitudinal study of the impact investing experience of Toniic 100% Impact Network members. The report combines an analysis of investment portfolio data from 76 members with stories of their personal journeys.

This guide provides an introduction on how investors can consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when assessing fixed income instruments and their issuers. It outlines options for how to include ESG issues when building a fixed income portfolio and when working with issuers on how they manage ESG issues.

This is a guide for fixed income investors to implement responsible investment (RI) principles. A key application is using environmental, social and governance (ESG) integration to determine an issuer's creditworthiness. Motivations for applying RI in fixed income vary from pursuing financial value through the management of risks and opportunities to ethical motivations and reputational concerns.

The report examines why leading climate investors are rapidly outpacing their peers despite having access to the same information. As part of the report, investment professionals and key stakeholders were surveyed and interviewed, revealing cognitive biases to be an important barrier to taking action on climate change.

Integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into existing portfolios involves considerations beyond benchmark tracking and diversification such as budgets for governance and risk as well as portfolio impacts of different types of ESG implementation. The report explores ESG portfolio integration as well as outlining trade-offs in portfolio management.

The research explores the moral, financial and economic justification for responsible investment, and the academic evidence underpinning future action. It concentrates on how ESG factors materially impact investment risk and returns, clarifying the agency of investors over non-financial value creation.

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.

This research identifies the potential for increased green bond issuance to support the green investment needs of large global publicly traded companies across all sectors. Comparing companies’ business as usual (BAU) to pathways aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), case studies illustrate how green bonds can support transitions to low-carbon business models.

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 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.

The Climate Bonds Initiative is an international organisation working to mobilise the bond market for the financing of climate change solutions. They promote and help develop the market by providing reports on green bonds, conducting surveys, construct investment opportunities, develop a trusted standard, as well as delivering policy models and advice.