This book tells the story of how the convergence between corporate
sustainability and sustainable investing is now becoming a major force
driving systemic market changes. The idea and practice of corporate
sustainability is no longer a niche movement. Investors are increasingly
paying attention to sustainability factors in their analysis and
decision-making, thus reinforcing market transformation.
In this book, high-level practitioners and academic thought leaders,
including contributions from John Ruggie, Fiona Reynolds, Johan
Rockström, and Paul Polman, explain the forces behind these
developments. The contributors highlight (a) that systemic market change
is influenced by various contextual factors that impact how sustainable
investing is perceived and practiced; (b) that the integration of ESG
factors in investment decisions is impacting markets on a large scale
and hence changes practices of major market players (e.g. pension
funds); and (c) that technology and the increasing datafication of
sustainability act as further accelerators of such change.
The book goes beyond standard economic theory approaches to sustainable
investing and emphasizes that capitalism founded on more real-world
(complex) economics and cooperation can strengthen ESG integration.
Aimed at both investment professionals and academics, this book gives
the reader access to more practitioner-relevant information and it also
discusses implementation issues. The reader will gain insights into how
"mainstream" financial actors relate to sustainable investing.
