Finance & Investment
The latest in the spheres of socially responsible investing, impact investing, and other ways investors and shareholders are asserting their desire for ethical investment options.
Visa Commits $100M to Help Minority Depository Institutions Drive Economic Mobility
MDIs are trusted providers for communities of color and include some of the oldest minority-owned US banks; they play a unique role in increasing access to financial services for underserved populations.
Company-Specific ESG Adoption Pushes Leaders to Dig Deeper
The rise of company-specific materiality assessments will require companies to undertake substantial organizational and behavioral adjustments, reduce their reliance on standardized metrics, and incent investors to dig more deeply into the inner workings of individual portfolio companies.
Fossil Free Banking Alliance to Help Conscious Consumers Put Their Money Where Their Mouths Are
Bank.Green’s new Alliance, made up of 8 founding members, aims to fuel the global movement towards a more sustainable and climate-resilient financial sector.
Umpqua Bank Offers $2M Infusion to Support Minority, Women Entrepreneurs
Through a series of multi-year partnerships with business-focused nonprofits, Umpqua aims to close the opportunity gap in access to capital, resources, and expertise for traditionally underserved innovators.
Decolonizing Wealth Project Redistributes $1M Towards Indigenous-Led Sustainability Efforts
The multi-year, multimillion-dollar Indigenous Earth Fund initiative will support systemic and policy-change efforts centered around Indigenous leaders and environmental solutions.
BlackRock's Fink Expounds on Need for Decarbonization, But Not Divestment
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. In his annual letter to CEOs, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink says that, while decarbonizing the global economy is ‘the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime,’ he also asserts that ‘divesting from entire sectors will not get the world to net zero.’
1% for the 99%: Corporate Leaders’ Golden Opportunity to Recharge US Communities
By unleashing the corporate balance sheet, finance teams can provide resources to nurture local entrepreneurial talent, improve climate resilience and build housing — all with minimal risk.
Improving the Sustainability of Wet Processing: An Investment Pot of Gold
In the textile industry, one area ripe for investment is making wet processing more sustainable. As with most pots of gold, it’s not without its challenges — but data indicate that the returns are well worth the effort. Investors keen to seize this nascent opportunity should consider three primary steps.
Report Presents Decarbonization of Fashion Industry as $1T Investment Opportunity
Estimating an investment opportunity of $1 trillion, a new Fashion for Good-Apparel Impact Institute report breaks down the funding needed by solution category and identifies the types of funders best placed to take advantage of the opportunity and benefit from the positive returns.
HSBC to Phase Out Coal Financing by 2040 — Will Wall Street Follow Suit?
HSBC announces its thermal coal phase-out plan on the same day as a Sierra Club-Center for American Progress report calls out Wall Street’s outsized contribution to the climate crisis. Can the necessary sea change be made in time to avoid disaster?
Beyond Data: How Financial Firms Can Build a Sustainable Future
Disclosure and data certainly are important, but they are not sufficient to create a more equitable and sustainable world. Companies that take a narrow or compliance-focused approach to ESG are missing the forest for the trees.
‘Vanguardians of the Galaxy’ Stunt Shows Climate Laggards Can No Longer Fly Under the Radar
Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. Two recent releases by a noted activist group put tough questions in front of one of the world’s largest financial institutions — which would be wise to pay attention.
Blended Finance Offers the Best Approach to Climate Change Adaptation
With so little time left, we must prepare for the colossal climate challenges yet to come. We hope our approach to public-private blended finance will inspire other multinationals, investors and climate funds to support protective measures that ensure the climate resilience of their supply chains and the global economy.
New Campaign Empowers Consumers to Ditch Banks Financing Fossil Fuels
Cross-Posted from Behavior Change. 'Swap for COP' asserts that moving one’s money out of fossil-fuel-financing banks is one of the simplest and most impactful things that individuals can do to help mitigate the climate crisis.
New Verizon Accelerator Propelling Climate-Justice Solutions ‘Forward for Good’
Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. The Forward for Good Accelerator sends a clear signal of the company’s willingness to build meaningful collaborations with more nimble change makers, offering Fortune 20 assistance in a mutually beneficial way.
How ESG Is Forever Changing Investing, Design in the Built Environment
Simply returning profits to investors is no longer a good enough measure of success. If any stakeholder does not see benefits in the design of a capital project, then gaining support is unlikely. Is your organization ready for multi-stakeholder investment and design?
Decolonizing Wealth: What If Money Could Heal Us?
In this excerpt from his bestselling book, "Decolonizing Wealth," award-winning author and philanthropic advisor Edgar Villanueva provides a glimpse into how money can help to disrupt some of the deep, systemic inequities in this country, instead of continuing to feed them.
Reimagining Finance for Forests in a Climate-Changing World
Carbon credits, which promise an impact measured to a specific quantity of CO2, may not be the most efficient instrument in constantly climate-changing world. But a new approach can make carbon markets fit-for-purpose moving forward. Here are some key premises for business to finance forests and broader climate action in a new era.
Investors Worth $29T Urge 1,600 Companies to Set Science-Based Targets
220 global financiers holding $29.3 trillion in assets call on world’s highest-impact companies to set science-based emissions-reduction targets ahead of COP26; they are joined this year by 26 CDP supply chain member companies.
Supply Chains Are the Achilles’ Heel of Food Company Climate Action
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. Companies cannot credibly address climate risk without disclosing and reducing their supply chain emissions. Through Food Emissions 50, investors are issuing an urgent call to action for companies to raise their ambition to disclose emissions, set targets and implement climate-transition action plans.
