In this episode, host Josina Kamerling has a discussion with Thierry Philipponnat, Chief Economist, Finance Watch, about the banks’ efforts to building a sustainable economy and the challenges of the net zero transition for banks.

2023 was a year of milestones for regulations and standards to improve sustainable investment transparency, comparability, and credibility. In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Deborah Kidd, CFA, talks with James Alexander, chief executive at UKSIF. They discuss the new UK regulation for sustainable investment product labels, the IFRS international corporate sustainability disclosure standards, and the establishment of harmonized definitions for key responsible investment terms by the PRI, GSIA, and CFA Institute. James shares his views on the successes of the past year and the work that still needs to be done to create a sustainable finance system.

 In this episode of the Sustainability Story podcast, Andres Vinelli is joined by Harriet Waters, the head of environmental sustainability at the University of Oxford. Harriet shares the highlights of Oxford's sustainability journey and explores the lessons learned that can be applied to other organizations. She discusses her personal journey into environmental issues and how she became involved in the field. Tune in to learn about Oxford's sustainability strategy and gain valuable insights for your own sustainability initiatives.

In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Sandy Peters is joined by Brian Tomlinson, a managing director in Ernst & Young's financial accounting and advisory services practice. They discuss the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and its impact on non-EU-based multinationals. While the extraterritorial nature of the EU's reporting requirements may be known among policy experts, it is less understood by US companies and investors. The episode delves into the potential implications and importance of this directive for sustainability reporting and investment decision making.

As the world economy transitions from high carbon to low carbon, the largest global investment in history is underway. In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Deborah Kidd, CFA, talks climate bonds, transition, and policy with Sean Kidney, CEO of Climate Bonds Initiative, an international NGO working to mobilize global capital for climate action. Learn how bond investors can both drive change and profit from a world that is rapidly evolving, and why Sean says the policy action he’s seeing fills him with hope at what he calls our 11th hour.

Josina Kamerling, Head of Regulatory Outreach EMEA at CFA Institute, and Rob Bauer, Professor of Finance at School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, and co-author of the paper “Private Shareholder Engagements on Material ESG Issues,” discuss the main findings of his research and how private engagements can address financially material ESG issues while contributing to firm performance.   Read the full report here: https://cfainst.is/3F9YbdT

In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Andres Vinelli interviews Dr. Spencer Glendon, founder of Probable Futures—a nonprofit organization focused on climate science accessibility from the CFA Institute Climate Risk and Returns conference. Dr. Glendon, an expert on climate change with a background in finance and economics, shares his journey and the importance of climate literacy. He explains the importance of climate literacy and how it intersects with environmental issues. Tune in to gain insights into the work being done to influence the conversation on climate change.   Visit https://probablefutures.org to access interactive maps, science, historical context, and stories to help visualize a range of possible climate futures.

In this episode of the Sustainability Story, we tackle two areas of mass confusion in the world of sustainable investing: what should be done about the divergence in ESG ratings, and what works and doesn't work in impact investing. Deborah Kidd, CFA, talks with Dr. Julian Kölbel, Assistant Professor in Sustainable Finance at the Center for Financial Services Innovation at the University of St. Gallen and Research Associate at MIT Sloan, where he co-founded the Aggregate Confusion Project. Julian is also host of the podcast Innovations in Sustainable Finance. https://fsi.unisg.ch/en/insights/innovations-in-sustainable-finance/ With an estimated one-third of the world's assets under management being managed sustainably, ESG ratings have come under increasing scrutiny by regulators. We discuss issues around the reliability of ESG ratings, whether they should be regulated, and how investors can make sense of them. Our conversation then turns to impact investing, where we learn about evidence-based strategies and the key component necessary for actually making an impact.

Are you ready to crack the code on sustainable investing? We promise a plethora of insights in our thought-provoking conversation with Brian Minns, CFA, the Managing Director of Responsible Investing at University Pension Plan Ontario. Fusing his engineering acumen with financial expertise, Brian is at the forefront of driving environmental, social, and governance (ESG) values in investments. Not only will you hear about his transformative journey from engineer to finance guru, but he also reveals how he co-founded the Canadian Responsible Investment Working Group and illuminates the ongoing growth in understanding sustainable finance among professionals.   Fasten your seat belts as we navigate through the second half of our discussion, where Brian takes the wheel, guiding us through the University Pension Plan's approach to integrating ESG factors into their investment process. He tackles the tough questions around proxy voting, greenwashing and how to assess partners effectively. In an especially riveting segment, we confront the looming hurdles in our race towards net zero emissions — a challenge that demands rapid emissions reductions, regulatory intervention, and carbon pricing. Brian's compelling call-to-action encourages us all to start addressing environmental issues and climate change — it's an episode that's sure to spark your curiosity and leave you inspired!

Discover the ins and outs of sustainability regulations in the EU with Patrik Karlsson, a senior policy officer at the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), and Josina Kamerling, head of regulatory outreach for CFA Institute for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region at CFA Institute. Gain valuable insights into the Sustainable Financial Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and its implementation, as well as the ongoing consultation on some changes to the requirements. Patrick shares his thoughts on greenwashing, the role of ESMA and other European Supervisory Authorities in applying SFDR, and the importance of acknowledging the responsibility of the finance sector to provide disclosure. Dive deeper into the complex world of financial services rulemaking in the EU as we explore the framework law, regulatory and implementing technical standards, guidance and Q&A's, and supervisory convergence in relation to SFDR. Learn about the importance of case studies as a tool for illustrating how the rules are meant to be applied and the consultation paper on tweaks recently issued by ESMA. Additional topics include the significance of close collaboration between financial market participants and regulators, the EU's dynamic process for regulation making, the UK's proposed measures to address greenwashing, the FCA's labeling regime, and the call for evidence on the fund naming process to help prevent greenwashing. Don't miss this enlightening conversation with Patrik Karlsson on the complexities of sustainability disclosures and the crucial role of regulation in preventing greenwashing.

Join our 3 CFA Institute hosts, Andres Vinelli, chief economist, Josina Kamerling, Head of Regulatory Outreach, and Deborah Kidd, Director of Global Industry Standards for new episodes starting in June 2023. 

We talk with Cindy Rose, Head of Responsible Capitalism, Liontrust Asset Management. We discuss some of the definitional and terminology issues challenging the sustainability and ESG world. We also talk about the materiality of sustainability data and how asset managers can develop a materiality framework, to take a systematic approach to focusing on the sustainability metrics that matter.

We talk with Mauro Rodrigues da Cunha, Independent Director. Mauro has decades of experience in the corporate governance world, with a long history of fighting for better shareowner rights. We talk about the history of corporate governance and sustainability in Brazil, the upcoming Brazilian Presidential elections and how the climate crisis and the Amazon rainforest is viewed in Brazil. 

We talk to Suzanne Johnson, Senior Advisor at United Nations Global Compact and Head of Sustainability Program for LLoyd's Register Foundation. We talk about what happened at the recent UN Oceans conference and what investors should know about the ocean and how our livelihoods, markets and lives are tied to it.

We talk with Susan Krumdieck, Professor and Chair in Energy Transition at Heriot-Watt University, about transition engineering. We discuss how transition engineering will change how we approach sustainability issues and impact our economy. We talk about why hydrogen will not lead the clean energy transition and how we get to a sustainable future through practical solutions.

We talk with Dean Alborough, Head of ESG at Old Mutual Alternative Investments. We discuss how private markets integrate sustainability risks and opportunities. We also talk about the current state of sustainable investing and sustainable policy in Africa.

We talk with Timothee Parrique, doctor in economics and researcher at Lund University. We discuss degrowth, what it is, what it isn’t and how our obsession with GDP and growth are flawed measures of progress. We talk about why “green growth” is not the answer to the climate and biodiversity challenges we face and what a world that has embraced degrowth would look like. We end with a great list of resources for those looking to explore the topic further. You can find more resources at; https://timotheeparrique.com/

We talk to Matt Moscardi, CEO of FreeFloat Media. We discuss the creation of ESG ratings and how they have been used correctly and incorrectly through the years. We talk about the future of ESG, Sabermetrics for corporate boards, and Italian Rugby players with podcasts. 

We talk with Terence Barry, Founder and Owner of Brand and Story. We discuss how stories help us understand and explain our world as well as persuade others. We talk about climate change and other environmental challenges we face, and how storytelling can help us spur the action we need.

We talk with John Hoeppner, Head of US Stewardship and Sustainable Investments at LGIM America. We discuss investor stewardship and the state of engagement with public companies around ESG issues. We talk about the impact of these engagements, what we see as burgeoning issues in the ESG world and the differences in investor engagement around the world. 

We talk with Sandy Peters, CPA, CFA, Senior Head, Global Advocacy, CFA Institute and Wes Bricker, Vice-Chair – US Trust Solutions Co-Leader at PwC. We discuss the SEC’s proposed rules about climate-related disclosure and how they will impact investors and companies. We talk about the financial disclosures required, greenhouse gas emissions disclosures and the materiality of climate related information.

We talk with Ben Yeoh, Senior Portfolio Manager, RBC Global Asset Management. Our wide ranging conversation includes discussions of ESG integration, ESG education, demographics, Economist Thomas Malthus, and the future of capitalism. We also talk about current and impending regulation and policy around ESG disclosure as well as the intersection of art and ESG. Listen to his personal podcast, Ben Yeoh Chats https://www.thendobetter.com/podcast Follow him on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-yeoh-445133/ Follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/benyeohben

We talk with Delilah Rothenberg, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Predistribution Initiative. We discuss how the Predistribution Initiative is working with investors to create investment structures and asset allocation strategies that better address systematic risks. We talk about how a focus on how internal standard setting, disclosure, improved governance and financial practices can help build more regenerative investment structures and align practices of investment professionals with their stewardship counterparts. LINK: Visit The Predistribution Initiative website at: https://predistributioninitiative.​org/

We talk with Mervyn Tang, Head of Sustainability Strategy, APAC at Schroders. We discuss what investors should be looking for when analyzing a company’s climate change strategy and decarbonization efforts. We talk about the growing investor interest in the area of natural capital and how Asia sits in the center of many efforts to address investments in biodiversity. LINK: Visit Schroders Talking Point for market news and expert views http://www.​schroders.​com/talkingpoint

We talk with Barbara Davidson, Head of Accounting, Audit and Disclosure at Carbon Tracker Initiative. We discuss Carbon Tracker’s recent report; Flying Blind: The Glaring Absence of Climate Risks in Financial Reporting, which detailed the troublingly low level of consideration of climate risk impacts in financial climate related reporting for some of the most carbon intensive global companies. We talk about the CA100+ Net Zero Company benchmark and its new Climate Accounting and Audit Assessment that aims to bring better transparency to ‘climate accounting’ issues. Finally, we talk about the efforts of regulators and policymakers around the world and what to expect from coming climate-related disclosure initiatives. More on Carbon Tracker at www.carbontracker.org LINKS: https://carbontracker.org/reports/flying-blind-the-glaring-absence-of-climate-risks-in-financial-reporting/

We talk with Olivia Knight, Racial Justice Initiative Manager, As You Sow. We discuss how investors can better track whether companies are walking the walk as well as talking the talk on racial justice and environmental justice issues. We talk about the increase interest in social justice data, and what companies and industries are doing a better job of providing investors with this information. More on As You Sow: https://www.asyousow.org/

We talk with Andrew Watson, Founder and Director, Rethinking Capital. We discuss how accounting, and in particular normative accounting can be used to help address climate change and other sustainability issues. We talk about how the assumptions we make with our accounting systems set the incentives, and how accounting can be used to help incentivize sustainable finance.

We talk with Ken Pucker, Advisory Director at Berkshire Partners and a Senior Lecturer at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. We discuss Ken’s time at Timberland, where he was at the forefront of the company’s social responsibility movement. We talk about the challenges facing the sustainable finance, ESG investing and impact accounting.

We talk with Asha Mehta, CFA, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Global Delta Capital. We discuss how investors can approach sustainable investing from a quantitative point of view. We talk about the state of ESG data, the coming evolution of ESG disclosures, emerging markets, SDGs and impact investing.

We talk with Sandra Taylor, Founder and President, Sustainable Business International. We discuss her time leading the Sustainability efforts at Starbucks as well as her current work with wineries to help winemaking become more sustainable and equitable. We talk about organic, biodynamic and sustainable agricultural practices and what role these practices have in a more sustainable agricultural system.

We talk with Rob Zochowski, Program Director of the Impact-Weighted Accounts Initiative at Harvard Business School . We discuss how to better measure the positive and negative impacts or externalities that businesses have on society and our environment. These efforts are aimed at providing a more complete understanding of these impacts so that investors can better value companies and managers can better manage impacts in their decision-making.

We talk with William Burckart, President and COO at The Investment Integration Project (TIIP) and co-author of the book “21st Century Investing”. We discuss TIIP’s focus on system-level investing, that aims to help investors understand that healthy portfolio returns are dependent on healthy systems on which we all depend. We talk about how the management of systemic risks in a portfolio can contribute to solving systemic problems. 21st Century Investing

We talk with Gabriel Thoumi, CFA, FRM, Head of Plastics Pogramme and Director of Financial Markets at Planet Tracker. We discuss the major players in the plastics world, the move to a more sustainable and circular plastics economy. We also talk about what investors and consumers can do to help move to a more sustainable use of plastics.

We talk with Betty Jiang, CFA, Head of US ESG Research at Credit Suisse. We discuss the ongoing COP26 meeting and what investors should look for post-COP26 concerning climate policy, climate financing, carbon markets. We also examine the industries and sectors that face the most climate related risks and opportunities in the coming years.

We talk with Mark Van Clieaf, Managing Director of Future Zero. We discuss what to expect and what not to expect from COP26/Glasgow. With apologies to Wayne Gretzky, we talk about “where the puck will be” concerning climate and Net Zero Business Models in the coming years. This includes coming “stress tests” for companies, the $ 43 trillion of carbon risks in their business models, the current mispricing of net zero business model designs and carbon risk, the potential legal jeopardy for companies and corporate directors around climate change, and what a disorderly climate transition looks like (including in the boardroom). The conversation is a long one but filled with great investor and inside the boardroom insights rarely shared. Related sites : https://www.sustainalytics.com/net-zero-business-models http://www.futurezero.com https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9099027/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/76483543/admin/

We talk with Grace Hui, Managing Director Head of Green and Sustainable Finance, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited. We discuss with Grace how the Hong Kong Stock Exchange balances the demand from investors for more information on ESG data and sustainable finance products with the ability of companies to supply this information. We talk about development of sustainable finance in Asia and the work the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is doing in supporting companies’ transition to a sustainable future.

We talk with Matt Howard, Vice-President, Water and Stewardship at the Water Council. We talk about the water challenges we currently face and will increasingly face in coming decades as well as tools the Water Council is developing to help companies become better stewards of water and more responsive to ESG pressures. Link to the Water Council

CFA Institute talks with Denise Weger, Senior Manager, ESG, Strategic Initiatives at Novartis. Denise discusses how Novartis handles ESG strategy and planning, the materiality of ESG data and the evolution of ESG reporting. We also discuss how Novartis engages with investors and other stakeholders about important material ESG issues. Please find the following link to Novartis materiality page: www.novartis.com/materiality The FAZ toolkit is at the following link: https://www.faz-institut.de/plattformen/verantwortung1/materiality/

We Talk with Curtis Ravenel, Senior Advisor to former bank of England governor Mark Carney, COP26 Finance Advisor and UN Special Envoy for Climate Finance. Mr. Ravenel discusses how the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosure or TCFD has conducted its work and structured its recommendation since it was formed by the G20’s Financial Stability Board in 2015.

We talk with Michael Azlen, Founder and CEO, Carbon Cap Management LLP who frames the discussion on carbon markets in terms of where we’ve been, where we are and where we are going. Mr. Azlen reviews the importance of carbon pricing and how government regulated carbon markets provide a market-based solution to climate change which offers the best chance of addressing the problem at the scale and speed that the climate crisis requires.

The State of Diversity at Public Companies and Boards We talk with Deborah Gilshan, Advisor, Investment Stewardship & ESG, founder of the 100% Club and author of the report The Ethics of Diversity. She notes that at the current pace, it will take 257 years to achieve global economic gender parity, and stresses the need for urgency. In this podcast she discusses how diversity at companies, on boards and in management can act as a catalyst to achieve needed change at a more rapid pace. Discussed in the podcast is the report Closing the Racial Inequality Gaps: The Economic Cost of Black Inequality in the US by Dana M. Peterson and Catherine L. Mann.

Matt Orsagh, Senior Director, Capital Markets Policy at CFA Institute talks with Jon Lukomnik, co-author of the book “Moving Beyond Modern Portfolio Theory: Investing That Matters”, to explore how one of the major pillars of modern investing and finance, “Modern Portfolio Theory” may need to evolve to better take into account the rise of ESG integration and sustainable investing. Jon Lukomnik on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-lukomnik-6164415/ Moving Beyond Modern Portfolio Theory 1st Edition:  https://www.amazon.com/Moving-Beyond-Modern-Portfolio-Theory/dp/0367760827