Transmission mechanisms hold the key to adapting asset allocation models to dual materiality, contends Joseph Naayem, Managing Partner, Kalmus Capital. In the good old days of single materiality, investors could afford to incrementally take a linear approach to how they integrated sustainability into their decision-making processes. As we enter an age of double materiality, allocators all along the investment value…

Undervaluation of and underinvestment in women is leaving money on the table, says Sandra Osborne Kartt, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, ImpactAssets Capital Partners. Sound the alarm – we stand to miss out on US$290 billion a year in the US economy. In an era focused on capturing every bit of economic growth, it’s almost inconceivable that such a vast sum…

Dr Torsten Schwarze, Partner at Morgan Lewis, explains how two EU directives will shape Europe’s legal framework to restrict greenwashing. The European Commission has initiated two directives with the intent of clarifying and unifying the EU’s legal framework on environmental claims: the EmpCo Directive and Green Claims Directive. ESG compliance is becoming increasingly important for companies, and the development of…

Whoever wins July’s general election will need to prioritise climate ambition and provide clear policy signals for investors. With the UK High Court having now dubbed the government’s net zero strategy unlawful for the second time, the country is now considered a climate laggard, leaving sustainability-conscious investors rudderless.   The decision has been interpreted by many as yet another setback…

Head of Sustainability at CDPQ Bertrand Millot highlights the pension fund’s focus on decarbonising the real economy, as well as comprehensively divesting from the oil industry. Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), the Canadian pension fund with net assets of C$434 billion (US$319 billion), recently completed its full withdrawal from oil production and thermal coal mining – thereby…

As Europe races to keep up with China and the US on clean technologies, state-backed export credit agencies’ role is expected to grow. Export credit agencies (ECAs) must step up their support for Europe’s nascent battery-manufacturing industry if the sector is to attract private investment and compete with Asia and the US, according to Dutch bank ING. Lithium-ion batteries are…