Sustainable Investment Awards 2023

NatureAlpa provides financial institutions with nature and biodiversity-related risk and impact data.

David Brand founded New Forests in 2005, with a vision to transform the forestry industry and deliver sustainability outcomes for nature, communities, and the circular bioeconomy.

Australian asset management firm First Sentier Investors has been recognised for its collaborative engagement to prevent marine microfibre pollution.

Aurum says ESG is a key pillar of the group's investment research process, alongside investment and operational due diligence.

A consortium of investors, representing around $3 trillion, became the first institutional investors to file a climate resolution in Japan when it called for more ambitious action by J-Power.

Breckinridge Capital Advisors secured this award for the second year in a row

Germany-based global index provider Solactive followed its 2022 win by winning another award in 2023.

Moody's Investors Service says it aims to incorporate all material credit considerations, including ESG factors, into its credit analysis.

The Kartesia Impact Fund I scooped this award for its unique approach to developing a bespoke ESG action plan for the borrower, and directly tying sustainability-linked loan to a selection of targets chosen.

The judging panel praised Vital Capital for a "fantastic initiative, focussing on a region and themes that need more investments".

2022 saw the launch by the London Stock Exchange of its Voluntary Carbon Market designation.

Conservation Resources' private equity agriculture strategy seeks to acquire farmland properties in the US with environmental values.

The $100 million Abrdn Climate Transition Bond fund was particularly praised for its focus on climate adaptation.

Winning two awards for its research efforts this year, Planet Tracker demonstrated the investment risks of deforestation in Brazil and set out a financial markets roadmap for transforming the global food system.

Tramontana Asset Management has won an award for its carbon-backed financing note innovation, which allows institutional fixed income investors to access the carbon credit market.

Sustainable Fitch secured this award for the second year in a row, impressing the judges with its diverse content for fixed income market - including transition finance.

Marsham Investment Management scooped the award after impressing judges with its $260 million transition-focused bond strategy.

Morningstar Sustainalytics' 10 for 2023 report provides data and analysis on investor exposure to emerging technologies within equity investment strategies.

Bluesource Sustainable Forests Company is a joint venture between North American decarbonisation solutions company Anew Climate and alternative investment firm Oak Hill Advisors.

Ainda Energía e Infraestructura, a private equity fund manager focused on the energy and infrastructure sectors in Latin America, seeks to incorporate ESG concerns into its investment analysis and decision-making processes.

Finance Earth's Community Owned Renewable Energy fund aims to support the development of a community-owned solar energy sector in England and Wales.

US impact investor and venture philanthropist NESsT invests in enterprises that support job creation in underserved communities while also focusing on positive environmental impacts.

The paper explores the practicalities of the energy transition and how private equity investors, institutional investors, project developers, and policymakers can contribute to the energy transition.

The Circulate Initiative's Plastics Circularity Investment Tracker provides insights related to private investments in plastics circularity solutions across emerging markets.

SilverStreet Capital's Silverlands II strategy aims to yield attractive returns and create climate and social impacts for one of the most underserved groups in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sunwealth says its Solar Impact Fund has deployed more than $135 million in 'community-scale', or smaller, solar projects to tackle climate change and inequality through the provision of more jobs in underserved communities in the US.

Beyond Impact places the need to reduce the global economy's reliance on animals for food, clothing and other uses at the heart of its climate-themed investment strategy.

Chinese data analytics firm SynTao Green Finance says its tools help investors further integrate sustainability into decision-making.

Actis, a global investor in sustainable infrastructure, has won three awards this year for its innovative work in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Tata Consultancy Services launched an ESG data offering in 2022 which seeks to enable financial services institutions across the globe to achieve their climate goals.

Altvest Capital impressed the Sustainable Investment Awards judges with its digitally-enabled investment platform.

FTSE Russell celebrated a year of firsts as it launched innovative products in several Asian and North American countries and broadened its offering in Europe.

WHEB Asset Management says its sustainability reporting strategy is underpinned by the concept of "radical transparency in a famously opaque industry".

The awards judges praised SLM Partners' pioneering regenerative land management practices as a "very interesting proposition". They commended the investments as "necessary" and "credible".

Zurich Insurance Company has won this accolade for the second year in a row.

AXA IM Alts' actively managed Global Health Strategy was singled out by the judges as an "interesting initiative in a theme where more investment is needed".

AG2R La Mondiale won this award in light of its green real estate policy, an ambitious programme of sustainable bond subscriptions, and an innovative approach to mitigating the financial impacts of greater life expectancy for its beneficiaries.

BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group launched a collaboration with Conservation International to serve as impact advisor to its new impact-oriented reforestation investment strategy in Latin America.

Since launching its T2 Energy Transition Fund (T2) in 2018, Tikehau Capital has enhanced its approach to ESG, embedding it throughout the corporate business strategy and expanding its impact investment funds.

Following its 2022 award, Risk Insights has won another accolade this year.

In the past year, Actis' partner and head of energy infrastructure, Lucy Heintz, has led on four exits and six investments where the focus was the energy transition and facilitating the accessibility of renewable energy in emerging markets.

Impax made a series of changes to bolster its investment strategy in the areas of climate and biodiversity.

Preqin developed a private encrypted data submission portal, allowing firms to submit their internal ESG documents and policies directly to overcome the challenge of data transparency in private markets.

Winning for the third year in a row, Mercer has continued to expand its sustainable investment capabilities on a global scale

The judging panel was impressed by NextEnergy Capital's agri-eco-voltaics project

The Gresham House Energy Storage Fund is the largest operational, utility-scale battery storage fund in the UK.

German investment manager, ESG Portfolio Management, impressed the judges with its SDG Evolution Flexibel multi-asset fund, in a category it last won in 2020.

China has set a national goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2060, delivering a just transition alongside it.

The judging panel praised Ortec Finance for its "comprehensive coverage of risks".

Judges praised the 'Social fund of the year, North America' winner for its "great focus" and "great track record".

For international investors, it can often be difficult to access information on ESG policies and developments in the Chinese market.

The judging panel was impressed by ICE's "useful research" on The Link Between Access to US Municipal Debt and Socioeconomic Outcomes.

During a year of global economic volatility, Ping An's China Green Bond Fund adjusted its portfolio duration through cash management instruments such as treasuries and bills to counteract the lower issuance of green bonds.

The Sustainable Investment Awards judging panel commended the Swedish pension fund for the actions taken in 2022, including the introduction of the AP4 Alignment Score.

MSCI ESG Ratings are designed to measure a company's resilience to financially-material environmental, societal and governance risks and opportunities.

Glenmede Investment Management impressed the judging panel with its thought leadership paper on gender equity investing.

Environmental Finance's Sustainable Investment Awards judges singled out Osmosis Investment Management for the second year in a row, citing its "great fund" and "impressive performance".

DWS Invest ESG Women for Women is a global equity fund, launched in 2022, with a sustainable focus developed by women for women.

Moody's Analytics says it has moved towards providing a more holistic view of a customer's risk profile and specific needs rather than a product-by-product service delivery.

Nordic financial services group Nordea Asset Management impressed the judges twice in this year's Sustainable Investment Awards.