All Impact Investing articles
-
PodcastESG Thema #23 - Digital Transition Series - The Social Dimensions of Responsible AI Deployment
AI has become a material source of economic opportunity and innovation. OECD economists argue that it can raise productivity by improving business processes, output quality, innovation and the efficiency with which firms use labour and capital, under the right organisational and policy conditions. However, AI diffusion also introduces risks that can undermine its potential for positive economic and wider societal impact if not managed through an ethical approach to development and deployment. Investors therefore need to not only assess these risks and monitor their evolution, but also act upon them through meaningful and purposeful engagement.
-
VideoNatural Capital for Impact
Regenerative farming may be one of the most interesting natural capital opportunities for institutional investors. It yields healthier food, restores ecosystems and mitigates climate change while potentially offering sustainable returns. Discover the investment potential of regenerative farming by watching this video.
-
White papersInvesting in Circular Agriculture
Agriculture sits at the heart of today’s biggest challenges and greatest opportunities. It contributes to climate change and biodiversity loss, while also being highly vulnerable to their effects.
-
BlogIt’s time to include listed companies in your impact strategy
Our investment landscapes are changing. New risks like social unrest, extreme weather events, and geoeconomic stress have officially moved into the mainstream. One in two experts polled by the World Economic Forum expects risk levels to increase sharply this year and to continue climbing. The top five risks identified are geoeconomic confrontation (18% of votes), state-based armed conflict (14%), extreme weather events (8%), social polarisation (7%) as well as misinformation and disinformation (7%). These trends reflect a world where ethical foundations are eroding, amplifying instability and risk.
-
White papersSolid foundations: Delivering social value to unlock investment value
Supporting employment, skills and training opportunities for local people produces lasting social value. But it is also key to delivering long-term investment returns.
-
White papersFrom pledges to portfolio insight: why climate ambition alone is no longer enough
Net-zero commitments have become a familiar feature of corporate climate disclosures. Across markets and sectors, companies increasingly articulate long-term decarbonization goals, often framed around 2050 targets and interim milestones.
-
White papersFive questions investors ask before allocating to natural capital
Natural capital rarely enters portfolios in a single step. Interest builds, questions accumulate, and progress often slows because a small number of practical issues are not addressed early on.
-
White papersClimate Action – two years on
Two years ago, L&G and AP7 partnered to invest in high emissions* companies and engaged with them to drive their emissions down over time, in an effort to combine climate impact with shareholder value creation. In this article, we reflect on successes and challenges over two years of engagement by the L&G team.
-
White papersGreen is not enough: The need to scale up transition finance
Sustainability-related investments have grown rapidly over the past decade. Initially anchored in global climate commitments such as the 2015 Paris Agreement and net-zero targets, investors mainly focused on directing capital toward explicitly ‘green’ investments that have a limited negative impact on the environment, such as those providing products and services needed to mitigate climate change.
-
White papersThe future of sustainable investing: Strategies, challenges and opportunities
The sustainable investing landscape has changed considerably over the last few years – what once was a niche, or a secondary, consideration has now become central to how many investors construct their portfolios. In particular we have seen a significant commitment from institutional investors, especially in Europe and Asia.
-
-
White papersClimate Co‑Benefits: The Role of Global Decarbonisation in Social Progress
This paper, authored by Alexandra Matthews and Sindhu Janakiram, argues that climate action, when pursued through a just‑transition framework and backed by rigorous impact assessments, generates immediate and measurable social benefits that can be more tangible than the long‑term climate outcomes themselves. By tracing the pathways from decarbonisation to poverty alleviation, food security and health, the paper emphasises that the twin goals of a low‑carbon economy and social progress are mutually reinforcing.
-
White papersSocial infrastructure in Europe: where resilient income meets long-term societal need
Across Europe, demographic change and persistent undersupply in housing, healthcare and education are reshaping both how societies function and how investors think about resilience. As populations age, urban centres expand and public resources come under increasing pressure, social infrastructure is moving further into focus.
-
White papersPricing nature: carbon and biodiversity credits explained
Carbon and biodiversity credits are often discussed together as tools for pricing nature. This can give the impression that they perform a similar role in investment strategies. In practice, they price fundamentally different things, behave differently in markets and should be treated accordingly by investors.
-
White papersMitigating AI risks to children
Artificial intelligence is being rolled out at pace, but regulators are one step behind. Children and young people are among the most vulnerable users of this new technology. Ross Teverson and Navishka Pandit outline the key risks, and ways to mitigate them.
-
Interview“Small and mid-caps are better suited to an impact strategy”
Triodos Investment Management and STOXX recently launched the iSTOXX Triodos Developed Markets Mid and Small Cap Impact Index, a custom-built index derived from the iSTOXX Triodos Developed Markets Impact All Cap Index. Dimitri Willems, portfolio manager of the Triodos Pioneer Impact strategy, and Ronald Waals, Business Development Manager Institutional, explain the added value of this index and why small and mid-cap companies offer great impact potential.
-
White papersIs the world on track for a more sustainable future?
At Columbia Threadneedle, we believe that understanding sustainability trends and the interactions between people and planet is fundamental to identifying future investment opportunities. Using a deep and grounded research-based approach, and through our ongoing engagement, we consider how environmental, social and wider factors are shaping the companies and industries we invest in.
-
White papersMeasuring engagement: How to move from passive engagement to active influence
Stewardship is evolving. For years, engagement was assessed by volume – the number of meetings held, letters sent or companies contacted. Today, asset owners and asset managers are asking a more demanding question: did engagement make a difference? In the near future, however, asset owners and asset managers might have more tools to assess engagement quality and additionality, explains Francois Humbert.
-
White papersWhy invest in farmland?
Investor interest and demand for natural capital solutions continue to rise—positioning farmland investment as an increasingly valuable real asset opportunity. For decades, agriculture as an asset class has demonstrated its potential to generate stable returns, protect against inflation, and reduce overall portfolio volatility.
-
Asset Manager NewsResponse to inflation pressures - Kempen SDG Farmland Fund
The shift away from decades of low-inflation and a highly globalised economy represents a structural change in the macro-economic environment.
