A survey of UK asset owners undertaken by Hymans Robertson has found that ESG investing remains a priority for them, despite a perceived industry backlash.
According to the Sustainability Online portal, the survey, titled ESG: “Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,” found that most asset owners (81%) state that ESG is more important to them today than it was two years ago; however, the majority also state that the ESG landscape is becoming ‘more complex.’
Despite heightened political debate and regulatory change around climate policy in the United States, UK asset owners do not share the view of some of their Stateside compatriots when it comes to the relevance of ESG investing, the study found.
Of the 100 asset owners, including pension fund trustees and managers, that took part in the survey, some 90% believe that ESG considerations are becoming more challenging, with 7% saying they are ‘the same’ as before, and 2% disagreeing.
‘This isn’t surprising, as intensifying physical climate-related risks catalyse record insurance losses; geopolitical tensions raise questions around defence investment and supply-chain vulnerability; and new technologies, particularly AI, create new challenges,’ Hymans Robertson noted.
