A piece from Tariq Fancy, Ex-CIO for Sustainable Investing at Blackrock / Founder of Rumie.org: “This is the first of a three-part essay that shares how my thinking evolved from evangelizing ‘sustainable investing’ for the world’s largest investment firm to decrying it as a dangerous placebo that harms the public interest. It’s not short. But this topic is critically important: it lies at the heart of how we reform capitalism to address important environmental and social challenges with concrete action. I challenge business leaders who have advocated the ideas I question below to offer a serious rebuttal.”
As more and more investors make net zero commitments in the lead up to COP26, sustainability is at the forefront of investors’ minds. But what does it mean to invest sustainably? Are the metrics, measurements, returns and risks adequately framed and understood? How can leaders navigate the politics of sustainability and prevent greenwashing from prevailing? What are the allocation strategies and investments investors should be targeting and what are the tangible implications for investors’ portfolios? What is the role of asset owners in allocating capital and how do they overcome the obstacles they will face?
This online global event brought together asset owners, managers and academics for a practical take on sustainable investment. In order to implement the sustainability goals that asset owners have set as strategic initiatives they will need board and C-suite buy-in and directive.