In September 2015, 193 of the world’s governments adopted the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) as a blueprint for changing the face of the planet by 2030. They provide a universal framework for sustainable development through 17 different goals, each targeting a different aspect of a future that ensures prosperity and environmental protection for future generations. For investors, the SDGs represent both the power that the financial world can have in supporting a transition to the UN’s vision of the future and the ability to find sustainable investment opportunities. Many of the goals – for example, climate change, water quality

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) data is increasingly influencing how investors look at investee companies. As Detlef Glow, Lipper’s head of EMEA research, wrote in a recent blog, though the majority of investors do not invest in sustainable products, there is an increased interest in the practice as many begin to understand the importance of nonfinancial risks to a company’s long-term health. Some institutions are leading the way here, too, like Hermes, the UK-based fund manager, which actively stewards its managed and advised assets to ensure it fulfils its fiduciary duty. The institution’s head of sustainable investing, Andrew Parry, is