All Impact Investing articles
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Asset Manager NewsImpact fund Achmea Real Estate acquires 128 homes in Bilthoven for sustainability upgrade
Achmea Real Estate has acquired 128 apartments in Bilthoven on behalf of the Achmea Dutch Residential Impact Fund (ADRIF), with the ambition of making them more sustainable over the coming years. Tenants can expect enhanced living comfort and lower energy costs. This marks the first acquisition by the impact fund, which was established last year.
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Asset Manager NewsBlueberry acquisition strengthens permanent crop platform
The Kempen SDG Farmland Fund has taken another deliberate step in developing a long term platform built around productive farmland and high quality crops. The acquisition of the Pan American and Othello blueberry farms in the Pacific Northwest adds depth to the portfolio and strengthens the Fund’s position in a region known for reliable fruit production and strong local expertise. Together, the farms cover about 312 planted hectares and 405 hectares in total across Oregon and Washington.
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White papersAI’s Hidden Cost: Why Water Risk Belongs on Every Investor’s Radar
Access to clean water may be a deciding factor in who wins or loses the AI race.
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White papersUnlocking value in battery storage
Energy storage is now integral to the evolution of modern grid infrastructure, its rapid rise driven by the transition to renewables and increasing electrification. Batteries are central to clean energy transitions, underpinning COP28 goals… Read our latest white paper on the growing role of energy storage in grid infrastructure today.
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White papersDecoding data centers: Sustainability due diligence across the value chain
AI is reshaping the world, but behind every large language model and data center is a very real environmental footprint that investors can no longer afford to overlook. Nuveen and the Environmental Defense Fund have teamed up to cut through the complexity, offering a practical, science-grounded guide to help investors ask better questions and manage material risks across the entire AI value chain. Download the report to see what smarter due diligence looks like in the age of AI.
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InsightThe overlooked role of small and mid-caps in impact investing
In the dynamic landscape of impact investing, small and mid-cap companies can be powerful engines of positive change. While large-caps often dominate both headlines and portfolios, investors seeking tangible impact alongside competitive returns should take a closer look at the opportunities presented by smaller listed firms. In a recent episode of our podcast series Inside Impact Investing, we discussed how allocating capital to these companies can help drive societal progress while also contributing to financial performance.
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White papersBeyond data centres: Could fibre optic networks bridge the AI divide?
If you were asked to name a few standout inventions from the 19th century, you’d probably answer without much hesitation. The steam train, the light bulb, the telephone – all fundamentally changed the way people interact with one another and the world around them.
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White papersA look at the proposed evolution of the SFDR
The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation was created to establish harmonised requirements for financial market participants and ensure clarity around how they integrate environmental, social, and good governance factors into investment decisions, financial advice, and broader and product-specific sustainability goals.
