Recent news reports show responsible investing is good for business, the planet, and the country despite political efforts percolating at a federal and state level. No matter how hard greedy CEOs and polluter industries try to convince the public otherwise, the truth is responsible investing can improve investment returns and save states millions of dollars. The following news stories demonstrate that responsible investing is here to stay.
Time: Actually, Clean Tech Investment is Still Going Strong
A new report published Feb. 29 by the Rhodium Group and MIT shows record clean technology investment in the U.S. with a total of $67 billion in the fourth quarter of last year. That represents a 40% increase from the same period in 2022. In total, clean technologies received 5% of total fourth quarter private investment in structures, equipment, and durable consumer goods. A March 1 report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) also found that globally clean energy investment totaled $1.8 trillion last year, growing rapidly at a 10% annual clip since 2019.
CNBC: Bank CEO shrugs off U.S. war on ‘woke’ capital, says ESG investing is good for businessStandard Chartered chief executive Bill Winters says environmentally conscious investing can be good for business, dismissing the impact of a U.S. crusade against mission-driven investments. His comments come at a time when investments based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors have become a politically polarized issue. “I mean, I do want to wake up one day and have a planet so if that makes me woke, shoot me,” Winters told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe.”
ESG Today: Businesses Embedding Sustainability Outperforming on Profitability, Talent Attraction: IBM Survey
Companies that embed sustainability into their operations are likely to experience significant benefits over their peers in areas including revenue growth, profitability and talent attraction, even without spending more on their sustainability efforts, according to a new global survey of senior executives released by IBM. For the new study, IBM’s Institute for Business Value (IBV), in collaboration with Oxford Economics, surveyed 5,000 C-suite executives across 22 countries and 22 industries, examining the progress, investments, outcomes and key challenges facing organizations in their sustainability efforts.
Pensions & Investments: Most companies to spend more on ESG, less clear on execution — KPMG survey
Most companies plan to spend more on ESG within the next three years, but they are less sure about how to execute on those strategies, a survey report published Feb. 13 by KPMG found. Driven by reporting and shareholder demands, 90% of the 550 companies responding to the survey said they will invest more in environmental, social, and governance capabilities in the next three years. U.S. firms represented 61% of respondents, followed by 25% in Europe, 12% in Canada or Mexico, and 1% each in Asia Pacific and South America. Respondents represented multiple industries such as energy, financial services, technology, healthcare and transportation.
Wall Street Journal: Step Aside, ESG. BlackRock Is Doing ‘Transition Investing’ Now
BlackRock is still wagering that fighting climate change will be a generational investment opportunity—but the company is no longer pushing for changes in corporate behavior, talking about hard-to-quantify social issues or actively promoting ESG investing criteria. Instead, it is directing billions of client dollars toward infrastructure projects that will help speed the transition from fossil fuels.
