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ESG Newsletter

      Companies Are Laying Low on ESG as Backlash Intensifies

      2023-04-20

      Axios: Companies don't want to talk about their environmental, social and governance goals anymore, experts in ESG and communications tell Axios.

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      Climate Tech VC Deals at Slowest Pace in Three Years

      2023-04-20

      ESG Clarity: Funding for climate tech start-ups by venture capital funds is at its slowest pace in nearly three years, in a worrying sign for the sector.

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      These Anti-ESG Republicans Are Longtime Supporters of Green Power

      2023-04-20

      Financial Post: Some key Republican senators who’ve slammed Wall Street’s efforts to tackle climate change are themselves big supporters of green energy. The list includes Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, Mike Crapo of Idaho and Mitt Romney from Utah. 

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      Asian Private Equity Managers Lack Sustainability Engagement

      2023-04-19

      Fund Selector Asia: Although many Asian private equity (PE) managers are taking significant steps to integrate ESG issues into their investment processes, only a quarter of them engage with their limited partners on sustainability issues, according to a report from Mayer Brown and Sedgwick Richardson.

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      Partners Group Signs Carbon Dioxide Removal Agreement With Climeworks

      2023-04-19

      MarketScreener: Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, has signed a 13-year agreement with Climeworks (or “the Company”), a leading Swiss provider of high-quality carbon dioxide removal via direct air capture (DAC). 

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      Amundi Launches Suite of Net Zero Funds

      2023-04-18

      Funds Europe: Amundi has launched a range of net zero ambition strategies to support the transition to a low-carbon economy. Europe’s largest asset manager released a suite of seven actively and passively managed funds across all asset classes. 

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      Environmental Groups Sue EU For Labelling Gas and Nuclear as 'Green' Investments

      2023-04-18

      Euronews: Greenpeace and other campaign groups are set to take the European Commission to court on Tuesday, seeking to overturn European Union rules that class nuclear energy and natural gas as climate-friendly investments.

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      US ESG Bond Market Chokes on Republican Backlash, Investor Angst

      2023-04-18

      Yahoo Finance: US sales of bonds designed to help companies do good are plunging amid pressure from investors and Republican politicians. Companies sold about $6 billion of bonds last quarter to pay for projects that help the environment, achieve a social goal, or improve their governance, a type of debt known as ESG.

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      Mass ESG Fund Downgrades That Rocked Market May Be Reversed

      2023-04-17

      BNN Bloomberg: A mass wave of downgrades that shocked investors as they watched Europe’s top ESG designation get stripped from almost $200 billion may now be reversed.

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      ESG Activities Correlate to Stronger Financial Performance, Reveals New Study

      2023-04-17

      PR Newswire: ESG activities, regarding sustainability, diversity and employee satisfaction, correlate with stronger financial profitability and growth for private companies, revealed a joint study by Bain & Company and EcoVadis.

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      Asian Private Equity Managers Lack Sustainability Engagement

      2023-04-17

      ESG Clarity: Although many Asian private equity (PE) managers are taking significant steps to integrate ESG issues into their investment process, only a quarter of them would engage with their limited partners on sustainability issues, according to a report from Mayer Brown and Sedgwick Richardson.

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      Investors Must Learn to Look Beyond Governance to Assess Japanese ESG

      2023-04-14

      Investment Week: Poor corporate governance is a specter that has lingered over Japan for decades, but while improvements have been made over the last decade, investors may still be overlooking ESG opportunities and risks in the market.

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      Reform Global Financial Architecture to Achieve Sustainable Development: UN Deputy Chief

      2023-04-14

      United Nations: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are “slipping from our grasp” amid cascading global crises, highlighting the need to reform the global financial system, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said in Washington, DC.

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      Most Funds Do Not Meet Ecolabel Requirements – Esma

      2023-04-14

      Funds Europe: Looser requirements for the proposed EU Ecolabel for Retail Financial Products would potentially increase green finance volumes channeled through eligible funds, a recent Esma analysis said. Currently, the ecolabel is a voluntary scheme that demands compliance with six main criteria.

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      SEC’s ESG and Climate Task Force Levies First Enforcement Action

      2023-04-13

      Chief Investment Officer: Brazilian iron mining firm Vale SA settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission for $55.9 million on March 28, more than four years after one of its dams collapsed in Brazil in January 2019, resulting in the deaths of 270 people.

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      Wall Street’s Biggest Banks Failing Key ESG Test in Fresh Study

      2023-04-12

      BNN Bloomberg: An analysis by Ceres and the Transition Pathways Initiative has found that JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo & Co. have yet to align their oil and gas financing goals for 2030 with a scenario that keeps global warming within the critical threshold of 1.5C.

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      ESG-Linked Private Equity Compensation Key for Investors

      2023-04-12

      Private Equity Wire: ESG considerations have a key role to play in private equity investment practice, with 52% of LP fund investors believing GP compensation should be directly linked to ESG goals, a new industry sentiment survey shows.

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      The Upside of ESG: Why Strong Sustainability Programs Matter to Modern Enterprises

      2023-04-11

      JD Supra: ESG and sustainability are two concepts that have gained significant prominence recently. The World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation defines ESG as a set of factors that companies and investors consider regarding environmental, social, and governance issues.

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      More Investors Turn to ESG Bond Funds

      2023-04-11

      ETF Trends: Investors are increasingly interested in sustainable and impact investment products and investing with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations in mind. In fact, results of a new study from Coalition Greenwich show that most global institutional fixed income investors plan to invest more in ESG-labeled fixed income funds, with more than 90% of survey respondents looking to expand their allocations to these types of bonds.

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      Cybersecurity and ESG Top Challenges for Fund Managers

      2023-04-11

      Funds Europe: Fund managers across the alternative asset class cite cybersecurity and ESG as top challenges during the fundraising due diligence process, according to a recent survey by Crestbridge. The survey revealed that compliance and regulatory support are a concern for almost half (46.15%) of respondents.

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      The Global Underperformance Facing ESG Investors

      2023-04-10

      Advisor Perspectives: Sustainable investing continues to gain in popularity, with investors worldwide frequently attracted not only by ethical concerns but also by the lure of superior returns. Unfortunately, new research focused on global stocks showed that they did not get what they were sold.

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      ESG Headwinds: Embraced In Europe, Under Fire In America

      2023-04-11

      Forbes: Environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment strategies suffered a black eye this past year due to skyrocketing fossil fuel share prices that put a damper on ESG fund returns combined with increased politicization in the U.S.

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      Private Equity is Made for ESG Investment, But Don't Leave Money on the Table

      2023-04-06

      Triple Pundit: In many ways, private equity is made to be invested in environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. But it takes thoughtful strategies to ensure those investments generate maximum value for both business and society.

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      ESG Interventions Attract Green Premium for Property Investors

      2023-04-06

      Professional Pensions: Active management is required to promote sustainable outcomes from Real Estate assets; shorter leases enable earlier direct intervention to deliver sustainability improvements.

       

      Driving Sustainable Finance With a Clear Purpose

      2023-04-04

      GreenBiz: Take a look at the price tag of any new car, appliance or home improvement project. High upfront costs and installation fees may leave you with sticker shock. Cleaner alternatives, such as an electric vehicle or rooftop solar panels, may seem even further out of reach. However, that may not always be the case.

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      VC Dealmaking in Climate Tech Slows Dramatically

      2023-03-31

      Pitchbook: VC funding for climate tech startups has slowed to its lowest pace in nearly three years, a worrying sign for an industry which had, until recently, brushed off the tech market downturn.

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      Top 10 Responsible Investment Brands Remain European

      2023-03-30

      Funds Europe: The top 10 firms in the 2023 Responsible Investment Brand Index (RIBI) continue to be European asset managers, according to the fifth edition of the global survey.

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      Why ESG in America May Face a Rough Road Ahead

      2023-03-30

      BNN Bloomberg: If BlackRock Inc.’s largest ESG-labeled exchange-traded fund is a bellwether for the sustainable investing industry, it’s fair to say the US sector may be in for a bumpy ride.

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      French Responsible Investment Forum Exits SRI Label Group

      2023-03-30

      Funds Europe: France’s forum for responsible investment, known internationally as SIF, has quit a working group dedicated to reforming the country’s socially responible investment (SRI) label.

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      ESG Reporting Expectations on Suppliers Growing: BDC

      2023-03-30

      BNN Bloomberg: A new report finds that small and medium suppliers face growing expectations from their larger customers to report on environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.

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      After Slamming ESG Plan, Fund Managers Are Told to Sit Tight

      2023-03-29

      BNN Bloomberg: Asset managers are being advised by their lawyers not to adapt portfolios to planned ESG rules that would force many to abandon the label.

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      The New Sovereign ESG Data Portal

      2023-03-28

      World Bank Blogs: In November 2022, more than 45,000 world leaders and climate activists convened in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, for the preeminent international climate conference, COP27. Indeed, climate action—and the myriad of issues impacted by climate change, like health and immigration—have gained more prominence in recent years from both policymakers and financial markets. 

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      ESG Reputation Having "Outsized Impact" on Success of Smaller Managers

      2023-03-28

      Funds Europe: Amundi, Europe's largest asset manager, ranked as the fifth most attractive asset manager to European fund buyers in a study of asset manager branding.

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      Super Funds Back New Renewables Platform

      2023-03-28

      Financial Standard: Aware Super and HESTA are among those to back Palisade Investment Partners' newly established renewable energy platform, combining five of its operational renewable energy assets.

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      Adani Debacle Was a Wake-up Call for ESG Funds

      2023-03-27

      ESG Clarity: As Adani Group stocks tanked last month, following revelations of fraud and market manipulation at the Indian conglomerate, some investors in ESG-focused funds were surprised to find themselves exposed to losses.

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