The Evolution of Sustainability

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Marina discusses the evolution of sustainability issues over the past few years, from political risks in 2022 to a focus on market trends in 2023. She explores the importance of investing in companies aligned with sustainable principles and the shift towards long-term trend investing. The chapter also highlights the significance of market recognition for climate transition leaders and the evolving definition of sustainability.

We’re kicking off the New Year at the ESG Insider podcast with a look forward to the big trends driving the sustainability space for 2024. In the episode we speak to two sustainability leaders about the topics they’re watching in the year ahead.

Marina Severinovsky, Head of Sustainability North America at UK-based asset management firm Schroders, explains how investors are moving from climate transition commitments to solutions and implementation.

"You've made the commitment, but now the hard work begins, and it's really the people who are responsible for the portfolios that have to think about how you put decarbonization into practice across multiple asset classes ... and do so in a way that doesn't impose on the integrity of the portfolio," Marina says.

We also speak to Aniket Shah, Managing Director and Global Head of the Sustainability and Transition Strategy Team at financial services company Jefferies Group. Aniket shares his view on how investment approaches to sustainability are evolving.

“ESG as a standalone part of the financial and business community may go away, and it may go away in the next year or two — and that's going to happen at the very same time as the underlying environmental, social and governance issues have never been as important as they are today for investors and for corporates,” Aniket says. "We see this in the fund flow data — that flows into ESG-labeled funds, especially here in the United States, continue to decrease. And again, at the same time, there has never been more investment in solar, in wind, in electric vehicles, in battery storage, in climate resilience and climate adaptation.”

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.

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