Reflecting its importance, we don’t delegate our sustainability analysis to a separate team. It is the responsibility of our Research team to understand a company’s material sustainability risks and opportunities. The team does this through the consistent application of an investment process that has been tried and tested over decades.
When we research any company, we apply the same analytical framework. Our sustainability analysis is an integral part of this framework and is tailored to consider the material risks and opportunities relevant to each company.
This analysis covers four key areas:
Environmental Considerations
What is the impact of a company’s activities on its wider environment and how does it approach its environmental obligations?
Human and Social Capital
How does a company approach its people, stakeholders, and wider society? How robust is its social license to operate?
Governance
Does a company adhere to appropriate standards of corporate governance and oversight? To what extent does management discharge its obligations to stakeholders in a fair and responsible manner?
Carbon Risk & Climate Change
What is the impact of a company’s activities on climate change? What is its exposure to the physical and financial risks of climate change and the transition to a low carbon economy?
RECENT ARTICLES
Our most recent sustainability themed articles from our Research team with additional contributions from industry experts, academics and authors. Further articles can be found on our Insights page.
“We’re fiddling while the forests burn”
Focusing on rising temperature while ignoring our emptying natural habitats makes no sense. An approach that takes the hand of nature while forcing climate change to slow down is the best way forward, says Oliver Balch.
15 minute readThe Journey to a Carbon-Neutral Economy
Today, carbon emissions must be a serious consideration for all investors, particularly those with a long-term perspective. Over the last 18 months, we have been focused on the strategies and technologies that will shape the transition to a lower-carbon economy. Here, we identify how we seek to put this recent work into practice and how it will enhance our analysis going forward.
The New E in ESG
The way companies approach employee wellbeing is a critical test of their culture. Can they come through the current crisis with a strong and more meaningful workplace culture – or will Covid-19 expose it as an empty gesture?
8 minute readLuxury We Can’t Afford?
When a global crisis hits, what does it mean for the likes of Chanel, Ferrari and Louis Vuitton? We find out how the luxury goods sector is faring as the Covid-19 pandemic turns the world upside down.
11 minute readSupply chains trapped as western retailers close their doors
Retailers’ adaption to the Covid-19 crisis is not only impacting their employees but, just as starkly, workers at the end of the supply chain.
9 minute readStandards at the end of the supply chain
Investment Managers Alan Lander and Des Armstrong travelled to Vietnam and Bangladesh to revisit apparel and footwear factories in South-East Asia.
12 minute watch