Library | Sustainable Finance Practices

Active ownership

Active ownership is a component of effective stewardship. Guidance on how investors can influence investee, borrower or policyholder behaviour through active ownership, including proxy voting and engagement on ESG issues, fostering long-term value creation.

Refine
Resource type
Sustainable Finance Practices
ESG issues
SDGs
SASB Sustainability Sector
Finance relevance
Asset Class
Location
TAG
58 results
REFINE
SHOW: 16

First Nations Cultural Heritage Alliance

Issue Focused NGOs & Think Tanks
​First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance (FNHPA) is a national coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations dedicated to strengthening laws, policies, and procedures for recognising, respecting, protecting, and celebrating First Nations cultural heritage in Australia. FNHPA collaborates with government and industry to modernise protections and promote best practices in cultural heritage management. ​
Organisation

Accountability Framework

The Accountability Framework guides financial institutions on how to establish policies for responsible lending and investment in the food, agribusiness, and forestry sectors. It also helps financial institutions to screen and engage their clients and portfolios to fulfil these policies. It also assists with assessing environmental and social risk and performance in investment portfolios, and supports company engagement.
Online tool/database
29 February 2024

Introducing a standardised framework for escalating engagement with companies

ShareAction
ShareAction’s report introduces a standardised escalation framework for investors to engage with companies on environmental and social issues. It outlines an escalation toolkit and pathway to ensure structured, transparent, and time-bound engagement. The framework aims to enhance investor accountability, drive systemic change, and improve corporate sustainability practices through clear expectations, reporting, and enforcement mechanisms.
Research
6 December 2023

UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance: Policy engagement guidelines

United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
This guideline released in 2023 outline principles for asset owners to integrate net-zero commitments into public policy engagement. The framework emphasises accountability, active participation, consistency, and transparency in climate advocacy. Asset owners are urged to engage policymakers to support the transition to a low-carbon economy and ensure alignment with fiduciary duties.
Research
5 December 2023

Contextualising ESG funds' engagement strategies in Asia

The report examines the engagement strategies of ESG funds in Asia, highlighting the unique challenges posed by regulatory constraints, concentrated ownership, and political influences. Using a structured engagement pyramid, the study categorises ESG fund strategies, ranging from investment screening to direct corporate control. Despite obstacles, notable regional features can support ESG initiatives, such as shareholder voting mechanisms and strategic collaborations. The report provides insights into how ESG funds navigate these challenges to influence corporate governance and sustainability outcomes in Asia.
Research
16 October 2024

Point of no returns part V – leading practice: A guide to current leading practices by asset managers on responsible investment

ShareAction
This report provides investors with insights into leading practices for integrating biodiversity into investment strategies. It highlights best practices, case studies, and practical recommendations for enhancing the sustainability and resilience of investment portfolios.
Research
1 March 2021

The Shareholder Commons

Finance / Corporate Focused NGOs & Think Tanks
The Shareholder Commons (TSC) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to aligning corporate behaviour with social and environmental sustainability. TSC advocates for systems-first investing to prioritise long-term global health over short-term profits. It provides resources, research, and strategies to help investors protect shared interests and promote sustainable economic practices.
Organisation

Responsible investment and blockchain

Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
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. .
Research
17 April 2018

Engaging affected stakeholders: The emerging duties of board members

World Economic Forum
This report provides guidance for corporate boards on effectively engaging stakeholders to uphold human rights. It outlines strategies for meaningful engagement, addressing stakeholder concerns, and integrating human rights considerations into corporate governance and decision-making processes.
Research
11 May 2022

Business for Nature

Finance / Corporate Focused NGOs & Think Tanks
Business for Nature is a global coalition uniting over 100 business and conservation organisations, along with forward-thinking companies. It promotes credible corporate action and advocates for ambitious governmental policies to establish a nature-positive economy by 2030.
Organisation
3 research items

Trase

Global Canopy
TRASE maps forest risk supply chains linking consumer countries and traders with places of production. This allows for greater visibility of the countries, regions and companies that have higher rates of deforestation.
Online tool/database

Transforming global finance for climate action: Addressing misaligned incentives and unlocking opportunities

Global Sustainable Investment Alliance
The report identifies systemic barriers preventing the flow of capital to climate-positive projects. It introduces the PIVOT framework, outlining policy vacuum, misaligned incentives, valuation challenges, inactive ownership, and transition misalignment. The report provides actionable solutions for policymakers, investors, and stakeholders to align finance with the Paris Agreement.
Research
14 November 2024

Sustainability preferences: The role of beliefs

The study investigates how beliefs shape investor preferences for sustainable investments. Using incentivised survey methods, it finds that investors’ expectations of financial returns are higher for ESG-rated funds when aware of their ESG rating. This study highlights the biases in unincentivised surveys and the complex motivations driving socially responsible investments, suggesting that incentivised methods may better capture true investor beliefs about ESG fund performance.
Research
12 July 2024

Global partnerships case study: Measuring and managing financial inclusion outcomes

Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)
This case study explores how Global Partnerships adopts outcomes-focused impact measurement and management (IMM) practices. It highlights the importance of tracking both development and intermediate outcomes in financial inclusion to ensure investments genuinely benefit underserved populations and achieve measurable social impact while mitigating potential risks.
Research
19 October 2024

The big three and board gender diversity: The effectiveness of shareholder voice

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.
Research
25 November 2020

Community forest governance and synergies among carbon, biodiversity and livelihoods

The report examines the relationships between carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and livelihoods in tropical forest commons. It highlights the importance of local governance, particularly community management and rule-making, in achieving synergies among these benefits. The study identifies trade-offs and co-benefits across five distinct forest clusters, emphasising that effective governance plays a key role in fostering multifunctional forest landscapes.
Research
23 November 2023
PREV
2 of 4
NEXT