ESG has become an important part of the investment landscape. But some critics say the term may be overly broad, conflating a number of topics that may or may not be financially material for different issuers. In this episode of ESG Currents, BI analysts Eric Kane and Rob Du Boff are joined by Alex Edmans, a professor of finance at London Business School, who recently authored a paper advocating the concept of “Rational Sustainability” as a worthy replacement. This episode was recorded on Feb. 13.

ESG has become an important part of the investment landscape. But some critics say the term may be overly broad, conflating a number of topics that may or may not be financially material for different issuers. In this episode of ESG Currents, BI analysts Eric Kane and Rob Du Boff are joined by Alex Edmans, a professor of finance at London Business School, who recently authored a paper advocating the concept of “Rational Sustainability” as a worthy replacement. This episode was recorded on Feb. 13.

ESG has become established as a key business theme as companies and investors seek to navigate the climate crisis, energy transition, social megatrends, mounting regulatory attention and pressure from other stakeholders. The rapidly evolving landscape has become inundated with acronyms, buzz words, and lingo and we aim to break these down with industry experts.

ESG has become established as a key business theme as companies and investors seek to navigate the climate crisis, energy transition, social megatrends, mounting regulatory attention and pressure from other stakeholders. The rapidly evolving landscape has become inundated with acronyms, buzz words, and lingo and we aim to break these down with industry experts.

ESG Currents

Should ‘Rational Sustainability’ Replace ESG?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b99173b8-af9e-4a0c-91e7-b131011cc02e/transcript

Sustainability is moving beyond high-level ESG rhetoric and becoming more embedded in how investment mandates and RFPs are structured — but what is actually changing in practice? In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Sarika Goel, global head of sustainable investment manager research at Mercer, joins Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ESG Analyst Shaheen Contractor to unpack how sustainability expectations are shifting within investment mandates and manager selection. They explore how ESG requirements are being reframed — and where expectations are tightening or softening. The discussion also examines how these shifts are influencing portfolio construction, from integration to thematic allocations and private markets exposure, as well as regional differences in mandates. Finally, they consider what has remained consistent despite the noise and what the next generation of mandates may look like.

Sustainability is moving beyond high-level ESG rhetoric and becoming more embedded in how investment mandates and RFPs are structured &mdash; but what is actually changing in practice? In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Sarika Goel, global head of sustainable investment manager research at Mercer, joins Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ESG Analyst Shaheen Contractor to unpack how sustainability expectations are shifting within investment mandates and manager selection. They explore how ESG requirements are being reframed &mdash; and where expectations are tightening or softening. The discussion also examines how these shifts are influencing portfolio construction, from integration to thematic allocations and private markets exposure, as well as regional differences in mandates. Finally, they consider what has remained consistent despite the noise and what the next generation of mandates may look like.

Inside the RFP - Expectations for Asset Managers

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/dd821773-47a7-4cad-a821-b42501066ea2/transcript

As climate volatility intensifies, water risk is becoming a critical — and often mispriced — factor in investment decisions, particularly across agriculture and real assets. In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Melanie Rua speaks with Catherine Burns of The Nature Conservancy’s NatureVest team and Alyssa Go of RRG Capital Management about how institutional capital is integrating water and climate resilience into investment strategies. They discuss the $900 million Sustainable Water Impact Fund, how nature-based infrastructure can reduce financial risk and what signals could indicate that water risk is being properly priced.

As climate volatility intensifies, water risk is becoming a critical &mdash; and often mispriced &mdash; factor in investment decisions, particularly across agriculture and real assets. In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Bloomberg Intelligence&rsquo;s Melanie Rua speaks with Catherine Burns of The Nature Conservancy&rsquo;s NatureVest team and Alyssa Go of RRG Capital Management about how institutional capital is integrating water and climate resilience into investment strategies. They discuss the $900 million Sustainable Water Impact Fund, how nature-based infrastructure can reduce financial risk and what signals could indicate that water risk is being properly priced.

Pricing Water Risk and Scaling Climate Resilience

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4a2f530c-90ec-4632-ad0b-b41f00eb5346/transcript

Private markets are becoming an increasingly important frontier for sustainable investing, with mounting interest among allocators and a rapidly evolving landscape. But where are the real opportunities — and how can investors separate substance from storytelling? In this episode of ESG Currents, Northern Trust Asset Management’s Head of Multi-Asset Custom Solutions, Dee Sharma, joins Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ESG Analyst Shaheen Contractor to explore how sustainability is evolving in private markets. They discuss the themes gaining traction and those losing momentum, and what separates credible strategies from box-ticking. They also examine where risks may be mispriced and how demand can evolve over the next five years.

Private markets are becoming an increasingly important frontier for sustainable investing, with mounting interest among allocators and a rapidly evolving landscape. But where are the real opportunities &mdash; and how can investors separate substance from storytelling? In this episode of ESG Currents, Northern Trust Asset Management&rsquo;s Head of Multi-Asset Custom Solutions, Dee Sharma, joins Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ESG Analyst Shaheen Contractor to explore how sustainability is evolving in private markets. They discuss the themes gaining traction and those losing momentum, and what separates credible strategies from box-ticking. They also examine where risks may be mispriced and how demand can evolve over the next five years.

 The Playbook for Sustainable Private-Market Funds

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7f1c361d-70ac-4949-a24e-b41700fae851/transcript

Should ‘Rational Sustainability’ Replace ESG?

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