Diversity remains high on the agenda

With newspapers and inboxes dominated by COP26 news flow, we will wait until the two-week event is finished before we reflect on the many commitments, the potential disappointments and what impact it will all have. Instead, we are writing about gender diversity, a topic we have not touched on since the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

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Sustainable investment in Switzerland

The fourth Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study, jointly prepared by Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF) and the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth at the University of Zurich, was released this week. The aim of this study is to give an in-depth overview into the dynamics of sustainable investments in Switzerland, pointing out the new trends and identifying where challenges and opportunities may lie ahead for investors.

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2020 Annual Sustainability Report

Our 2020 Annual Sustainability Report is out!

2020 was a key year for responsible investing and ESG funds. As the pandemic raged for most of the year and investors remained cautious, sustainable investing became mainstream as it managed to grow by over 50% in an otherwise subdued fund market.Read more

IEA’s Net Zero Scenario

A few months ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), the International Energy Agency (IEA) has published its global roadmap for limiting global warming to 1.5°C and achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, and the recommended measures are drastic.

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Net zero emission targets and the carbon offset market

December 2020 was the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate accord, marked by a climate summit held in the UK with 70 world leaders. In advance of this milestone, the UK threw down the gauntlet to other countries by elevating their emissions reduction target to 68% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, 11% higher than the previous target. These targets are considered the second toughest in the world, following only those of Sweden.

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How to avoid a climate disaster

Bill Gates recently published his new book, a green manifesto called ‘How to Avoid a Climate Disaster’. We’re still reading our copy but we believe a core element to this manifesto is noteworthy – addressing the price differential between a fossil-fuel-based way of doing something and the clean, non-emitting way of doing the same thing – what Mr Gates calls the Green Premium.

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The boom of sustainable investing

Sustainable investing, considered a niche investment option just a few years ago, is now a key component of a balanced investment strategy for a wide range of investors. The COVID crisis, rather than deprioritise responsible investment, has helped accelerate its development and push sustainability to the forefront. Recent figures from Morningstar track this accelerated growth, highlighting its concentration in Europe as well as the future opportunity elsewhere.

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The retail industry and Xinjiang cotton

The retail industry and its supply chain are not without controversies and challenges for sustainable investors and consumers alike. As with other industries, retailers are facing increasing pressure to take responsibility for their footprints and what happens in their supply chains: the environmental impacts of their materials, the human rights and labour standards in the workhouses of their suppliers, and how the concept of fast fashion fits into a circular economy.

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