Sustainability Data America 2024

Chair's opening remarks

Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance

Investor keynote: Asset owner insights on sustainable investing and the future of sustainability data

Andrew Siwo, Director of Sustainable Investments and Climate Solutions, New York State Common Retirement Fund

Standards keynote: Progress update on building a global baseline for sustainability disclosure

Neil Stewart, Director of Corporate Outreach, ISSB/IFRS Foundation

Panel: Discussing the current regulatory and political landscape in the run-up to the U.S. elections, and how this impacts sustainability data

• Navigating the anti-ESG backlash: how is this playing into the election cycle?
• How is the political divide over ESG affecting flows of funds into sustainable assets? How are investors responding?
• How are issuers preparing for changes in disclosure?
• Discussing the potential impact of expected litigation issues on the adoption of new regulations and disclosure of sustainability data
• Examining regulatory developments at city and state level, including California's SB 253 and SB 261 climate disclosure rules: how are companies responding?

Moderator:
Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance

Panellists:
Colleen Davis, State Treasurer, State of Delaware
Kristina Wyatt, former Senior Counsel for Climate and ESG to the Director of Corporate Finance Division, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Steven M. Rothstein, Managing Director, Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets, Ceres

Investor keynote: BlackRock - generating sustainable alpha with unstructured ESG data and AI

• Exploring how sustainable and ESG data contain information for predicting returns and its unstructured nature lends itself to AI and machine learning
• Gathering ESG data from public sources with web scraping and other data collection techniques
• Using the" double bottom line" framework, for ESG signals or data to have a financial impact as well as measuring or contributing to a real-world sustainable outcome

Andrew Ang, PhD, Managing Director, BlackRock

Investor Panel: What sustainability data do investors want, and how are they using the data for investment decisions?

• Discussing the impact of anti-ESG rhetoric on investments and data disclosure
• What data do investors want from issuers, and why?
• Which data sets pose the most challenges to investors?
• Prioritising data needs and aligning them with the responsible investment strategy
• Investor perspectives on using third-party data vs. developing in-house tools and methodologies
• How are asset owners working with asset managers when it comes to data? Best practices and lessons learned
• Do investors really need more data? If so, what kind of data? Quality versus quality

Moderator:
Alessia Falsarone, Executive in Residence, Circular Economy and Sustainable Business, University of Chicago

Panellists:
Rolando Morillo, Senior Vice President & Portfolio Manager, Rockefeller Capital Management
Sara Rosner, Director, Environmental Research & Engagement, Responsible Investment, AllianceBernstein
Sarah Wilson, Managing Director, Head of Climate Solutions, Nuveen
Stephanie Lavallato, Senior Investment Stewardship Analyst, LGIM America

Corporate Panel: How are preparers of sustainability data developing effective reporting and disclosure strategies?

• Preparer insights on the SEC's proposed regulations, emerging state regulations and ISSB standards: what are the key lessons to be learned from those who are already doing voluntary disclosures?
• Sharing specific challenges and lessons learned relating to TCFD and SASB (IFRS)
• Ensuring clear, timely, accurate and consistent data, and aligning sustainability reporting with financial reporting
• Selecting and working with data providers, including AI and cloud-based solutions, and the challenges of onboarding new software
• Embedding the data strategy across all parts of the organisation (sustainability, finance, compliance etc) and senior management
• Preparing for emerging data challenges such as:
• transition planning
• TNFD reporting
• data assurance and verification

Moderator:
Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance

Panellists:
Dawn Emling, Head of Sustainability Initiatives, Lincoln Financial Group
Shira Goldmann, Senior Manager – ESG, Verizon
Will Houston, Head of Financial Sustainability, BAT Group

Panel: Sustainability assurance – exploring the rising importance of assuring data

• Understanding how independent data assurance will be used to boost investor confidence, increase data credibility and mitigate fears of greenwashing
• Reviewing the latest progress in developing standards for sustainability assurance, and emerging federal standards for sustainability assurance in the U.S.
• Moving from voluntary assurance to regulation, under CSRD and potentially under SEC regulation – is the industry ready?
• How are companies currently doing sustainability assurance, and what at what level - limited assurance or reasonable assurance? What is the level of demand from investors?
• Determining whether to use an auditing company or a specialist sustainability assurance provider
• Sharing practical experiences and emerging best practices in sustainability assurance

Moderator:
Genevieve Redgrave, Reporter, Environmental Finance

Panellists:
Brooke Tucker-Reid, Global Head, Sustainability Strategy and Reporting, Manulife
David Madon, Director, Sustainability, Policy & Regulatory Affairs, International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)
John C. Shideler, PhD, President, Futurepast
Martha Amram, PhD, CEO, GLYNT AI

Panel: Tools for measuring biodiversity and natural capital investments, and progress update on TNFD adoption

• Sharing experiences so far from early adopters of TNFD
• Understanding how models for measuring biodiversity and natural capital investments are evolving
• Update from the TNFD, including the "Global Impact" database: how could this help investors and preparers?
• Exploring future potential developments and emerging innovations in biodiversity and natural capital data

Moderator:
Genevieve Redgrave, Reporter, Environmental Finance

Panellists:
Jennifer Bogs, Global Director of Sustainability, Crown Holdings, Inc.
Mirtha Kastrapeli, Global Head of Natural Capital, ISS ESG
Rachel Hurley, Head of Sustainability, Paine Schwartz Partners

Panel: The “S” component: What data can be defined as “social”, and to what extent can the social aspect of an investment be quantified?

• What do we mean by "social" investments, and their associated data? Comparing interpretations and applications
• The million dollar question: what are the most clearly material social metrics?
• What advances are being made in developing measurement tools or DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and human rights?
• Striking the balance between disclosure and privacy: understanding legal risks and civil liberty issues when collating social data
• When is quantitative data effective, compared to a more qualitative approach? How to combine these approaches?
• How is social data being integrated with environmental data when assessing portfolio companies?
• What standards and disclosure practices are emerging for social investments in Europe, and how might the U.S. follow? How far away are we from regulation/standards in this space?

Moderator:
Genevieve Redgrave, Reporter, Environmental Finance

Panellists:
Carole Laible, CEO, Domini Impact Investments
Hugo Bonilla, Director, Corporate Social Performance, Lundin Mining
Olga Gorodetsky, Director, Capital Markets, Fannie Mae
Patricia Pina, Head of Product Research & Innovation, Clarity AI

Panel: How are investors in the private markets using sustainability data?

• Examining disclosure trends across different types of private investments – private equity, private debt, venture capital, real estate, infrastructure, etc
• What kind of data are LPs demanding from fund managers when it comes to sustainability reporting, and how are they using the data?
• How are investors in the private markets using data providers?
• Will tighter regulation influence disclosure practices in the private markets, even though they are not subject to the regulation?
• How are data trends likely to evolve in the private markets?

Moderator:
Whitney Rauschenbach, Head of Private Company ESG Research & Issuer Relations, MSCI

Panellists:
Anne Simpson, Global Head of Sustainability, Franklin Templeton
Colin Etnire, Head of ESG, BC Partners
Jeff Cohen, Managing Director, Head of ESG & Sustainability, Oak Hill Advisors

Panel: Where is the future heading for sustainability data? Emerging challenges, technological innovations and advances

• As the murkiness of sustainability data continues, what solutions could appear? Will the demand for niche, specialised data providers increase?
• Exploring database and emissions inventory initiatives such as the NZPDU (Net-Zero Public Data Utility) and Climate TRACE
• Emerging tools and solutions for measuring climate adaptation
• Exploring the data challenges associated with supply chains and scope 3 emissions – what tools and metrics are being developed to address the gaps?
• Developments in using metrics to measure "avoided emissions" to convey positive climate impact
• Discussing the potential of AI and satellite technologies as game changers for sustainability data, as well as the limitations and risks of misuse

Moderator:
Peter Cripps, Editor, Environmental Finance

Panellists:
Mamadou-Abou Sarr, President, V-Square Quantitative Management
Robert White, Managing Director, Head of Green & Sustainable Hub - Americas, Natixis CIB Americas
Simone Kramer, Head of Product, Net-Zero Data Public Utility (NZDPU)
Taylor Posey, Chief Data Officer, Asset Impact & GRESB