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.

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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

Divestment and engagement: The effect of green investors on corporate carbon emissions

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.
Research
27 January 2024

The unseen 'others': A framework for investor stewardship

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
The report introduces an analytical model that expands traditional investment management by recognising multiple stewardship relationships beyond immediate clients and beneficiaries. It advocates for enlightened stewardship that considers the broader impacts on society, the environment, and the economy, urging the integration of such perspectives into stewardship codes.
Research
12 August 2024

An introduction to responsible investment: Human rights for asset owners

Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
This guide by PRI summarises human rights relevance for asset owners, offering strategies for policy, governance, stewardship, and disclosure. It includes case studies, international standards, and practical resources to promote human rights in the financial system.
Research
8 January 2024

Big oil reality check: Aligned in failure

Oil Change International
Big oil and gas companies’ climate pledges lack ambition and integrity, resulting in continued exploration and extraction. They fail to align with the Paris Agreement, relying on misleading accounting and greenwashing. Immediate action from governments and investors is essential to catalyse a socially just and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels.
Research
21 May 2024

An introduction to responsible investment: Biodiversity for asset owners

Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
This introductory guide for asset owners explores the financial risks and opportunities associated with biodiversity loss. It explains the relevance of biodiversity to investment processes and outlines how asset owners can incorporate biodiversity considerations into their responsible investment policies, stewardship practices, and disclosures.
Research
9 April 2024

ShareAction's voting matters series

ShareAction
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.
Benchmark/series

Constructive corporate engagements: From a corporate perspective

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
This research focuses on constructive corporate engagement. This report analyses survey results from 100 senior company directors and interviews with ten executives to examine the drivers of successful engagements. Insights include the importance of collaborating with companies, focusing on material issues, and using standard metrics for success.
Research
8 September 2023
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