Sustainability zeroes in on your top concerns

Article Excerpt

Sustainable Investing (“SI”) is the practice of including environmental, social and governance factors in investment decisions. It aims to combine lower risk holdings with improved portfolio returns, and to reflect sustainability in its investment strategy. At the same time, it uses traditional financial analysis and portfolio construction techniques. Investor interest in SI has grown exponentially over the past decade and this investment style has become more comprehensive and sophisticated. The broader category has also splintered into several niche segments, including Environmental, Social and Governance Investing (ESG), and Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). Many institutional investors like this approach One of the most prominent organizations supporting responsible investing is the United Nations-backed PRI. This organization counts 2,300 professional investment management companies as signatories with about $80 trillion U.S. of assets under management. The Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board were among the founding signatories in 2006. These signatories commit to incorporate SI principles in their investment decisions…