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An increasing number of financial institutions integrate sustainability considerations such as environment, social and governance factors into their investment decisions and product development. Increased customer awareness, regulations, and growing evidence of the long-term benefits of considering sustainability in investment decisions has led to a significant growth in the sustainable finance field.

The world is changing faster than it ever has. As a result, companies are facing increasingly complex and numerous challenges. They need to adapt faster, and in this process, the board has a crucial role to play. A new vision of the board is needed to help start a process today that will result in them being better prepared for tomorrow’s challenges.

ING Wholesale Banking (WB) is the commercial banking business of ING Bank N.V. Using a forward-looking financing approach that incorporates environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations, ING WB provides banking services for large, multinational corporate clients, banks, insurance companies and other institutional investors.

To establish how, and to what extent, investors are considering children’s rights in their policies and practices, GES also worked with the Global Child Forum, a Swedish not-for-profit foundation, to survey asset owner PRI signatories in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Placing its clients’ interests centre stage, ABN AMRO understands the importance of delivering optimum service and offering transparent and simple products, while remaining at the forefront of technological developments and innovative solutions for client convenience. As part of its fiduciary duty and as a bank that commits to the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, ABN AMRO has a detailed plan for ESG integration, engagement and sustainable investing.

Our experts will assess the ESG impact of a company’s activities and products, including corporate social responsibility programs, supply chain spending, and operations.

Cleaner shipping has been a trending topic particularly since the International Maritime Organization (IMO) declared that 2020 will mark the “beginning of a decade of action and delivery” for the shipping industry.[i] A key approach to cleaner shipping is for companies to renew their fleet with more environmental-friendly vessels. However, this approach triggers an obsolescence of older vessels and increases shipbreaking activity. In Sustainalytics’ 10 for 2020 report, we mention the issue of shipping practices with large environmental impacts including shipbreaking practices which we will explore more in depth in this article.

Download our Sustainability-Linked Bonds Methodology backgrounder to understand our approach to assess alignment with the Sustainability-Linked Bond Principles (SLBP).

In this video, Lili Hocke, Sustainable Finance Solutions Product Manager, explains in detail the methodology behind our Second-Party Opinion approach on Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLBs).

In November 2019, as part of the Sustainable Seafood Engagement, Sustainalytics visited Chile to learn more about the country’s rapidly growing aquaculture industry. Commercial salmon farming has developed quickly in Chile over the past two decades, and today the country is the second largest producer of seafood in the world. Although salmon is not a native species to Chile, the climate in the southern part of the country (zones 10 and 11) offers excellent conditions for farming activities. Farmed salmon now represents the country’s second largest export and the industry provides thousands of jobs for people living in some of Chile’s most remote communities.[i] Despite this economic success story, the industry also faces environmental and social challenges which may cause investor risk. These risks may become more pronounced in the future, as the sector now looks to expand deeper into biodiversity hotspots.

In this year’s edition of our 10 for series, we put an environmental, social and governance (ESG) lens on 10 investment themes that may offer investors an opportunity to create a positive social and environmental impact through the equity market. The trends we identify are driven by corporate initiatives to scale new technologies, improve social conditions, conserve ecosystems and mitigate climate change.

Review the second-party opinions for some of the green, social and sustainability bonds mentioned in our 500th SPO post. Learn more about the issuers, and the socially and environmentally focused projects and initiatives their bonds funded.

As the largest second-party opinion provider, Sustainalytics works with hundreds of the world’s leading issuers and investment banks to help them bring credible sustainability bonds and loans to market.

Climate bonds, loans or debt instruments are used to finance or re-finance projects that address climate change and are in line with achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Such projects include wind farms, solar plants, sustainable buildings, etc. and can be found in a multitude of sectors including shipping, agriculture, energy or forestry amongst others.

Climate risk management is one of the overarching challenges facing members of society, including investors. Investors are striving to understand and integrate the financial impact of climate-related risks and opportunities in investment decisions.

Sustainalytics’ ESG Risk Ratings are designed to help investors identify and understand financially material ESG risks in their portfolio companies and how those risks might affect performance.

This engagement focuses on addressing risks related to child- and forced labor in the targeted companies’ supply chains, as well as to remediate potential adverse labor rights impacts. Particular focus is placed on the identified high-risk commodities, namely coffee, rice, sugar, tea and tomatoes.

ESG Risk Ratings are categorized across five risk levels. Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings span more than 12,000 companies and encompass most major global indices. Have questions about ESG Risk Ratings? Learn more from our FAQ

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is accelerating. Technological progress, globalization and demographic shifts, will bring structural changes and disruptions to society and labor markets. This engagement supports investors in understanding how companies can proactively manage workforce needs and transitions for a sustainable labor market.

Sustainalytics’ Corporate Impact Report calculates the social, environmental, and economic impact of a business, focusing on the material issues that are most relevant to its industry and region.