Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: Climate change has now become the main focus of shareholder engagement according to Schroders' 2019 Institutional Investor Study. The research found there was a marked decline in those who were cynical about sustainable investment strategies, with numbers dropping by 50 percent in three years.
The proportion of investors globally who do not believe in sustainable investment has fallen from 20% in 2017 to 11% this year. This decline was most striking in Latin America with skeptics falling from 29% in 2017 to 12%.
Almost one-fifth of investors globally (19%) however stated that they do not invest in sustainable investment funds.
Climate change has also become the most important area of engagement among investors globally, overtaking business' corporate strategies. Accounting quality, bribery, and corruption, diversity, and labor rights all increased in significance as stewardship topics.
Exactly three-quarters of investors said that they expect sustainable investing to grow in importance over the next five years, an increase in the 67% recorded in 2017. Indeed, a resounding 84% of investors in Europe said they expect sustainable investing to grow in importance over the next five years.
The lowest proportion was investors in Asia-Pacific, with 67% anticipating it will grow in importance.
Institutions globally stated that the availability of better data or evidence which could demonstrate that investing sustainabl...................... To view our full article Click here
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