Greenwashing ESG and the downrating of ESG funds in 2022

greenwashing esg

As the investment community moves towards more holistic and risk-centric approaches to investments, there has been an increase in investment in ESG-focused funds, and with it greenwashing ESG. These funds have different investment mandates, but they all aim for the same value proposition: a lower risk profile with higher ESG standards. The problem with ESG … Read more

Time for an alternative to the COP climate summit in 2023?

climate summit

After nearly 30 years of COP, it seems that the COP 27 climate summit has attracted more scepticism than in previous years. From the UN climate conference’s sponsorship by Coca-Cola, one of the biggest plastic polluters of all time according to Greenpeace. Then there were the private jets which flew in from more than 40 airports … Read more

Key environmental concerns from the 2022 Times Earth Business Summit

environmental concerns

Last month, Permutable attended the Times Earth Business Summit supported by KMPG and Natwest Group. It was a stark reminder to all businesses of every size that now is the time to environmental concerns and commitments into action – because there is no tomorrow.  Here we share some of the key environmental concerns raised at … Read more

Sustainable finance: Transitioning to a green financial system in 2023

sustainable finance

A sustainable financial system is one that is sound – economically, socially and environmentally. The goal of a a system which has sustainable finance at its core is to meet current and future needs while protecting the environment. Sustainable practices keep our planet healthy and clean for future generations. However, there is still a long … Read more

How AI is helping to advance climate solutions in 2023

climate solutions

Tackling the climate crisis requires a combined effort across science, business and governments of the likes that has never been seen before.  However, while there are still many unknowns concerning AI, scientists and AI specialists around the world are actively working to maximize its usefulness, particularly when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With increased … Read more

ESG Greenwashing: The negative effects on ESG in 2022

ESG greenwashing

It’s not often that we cover the same topic back to back in our articles, however just as we published our latest thought piece on ESG greenwashing, we were dismayed to read in The Times that HSBC invested so called “sustainable bonds” in fossil fuels and other unsustainable practices. For those who can not access … Read more

Greenwashing companies? Old habits die hard

greenwashing companies

Not long ago, university researchers summarised all the evidence on how businesses, governments and others distorted information to produce a view that suited them. They called it the “dark side of information management”. They showed how widespread this disinformation behaviour was. Recently, this behaviour has emerged in a new form, which sees companies greenwashing. It … Read more

Chaos in ESG ratings – a problem for COP or is COP the problem?

ESG ratings

A recent report from the Asia office of Ohio-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis has revealed chaos in the world of ESG ratings. Using the example of two utilities, it shows how companies transitioning into cleaner energy may be underrated relative to one actively involved in fossil fuels. The main reason for this … Read more

Gaining competitive advantage with ESG reporting in 2023

ESG reporting

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues are intrinsically entwined with the success of every firm. It makes logical, therefore, that a strong ESG proposal may create value—and in this piece, we present a framework for understanding the five primary ways a robust strategy and ESG reporting can do so. Employee productivity increase A strong ESG … Read more

Climate change news: The Fed gets to work on climate

climate change news

One of the lessons of the last twenty years or so has been the need for governments, regulators, companies, charities and others to consider different scenarios and their effect on outcomes. There sems to be an optimism bias built into the decision-making of most organisations. For example, a recently published study of World Bank projects … Read more

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