Sophie Robinson-Tillett

London

Contributing Writer at Investment & Pensions Europe

Beard stroking about green finance, responsible investment, ESG and sustainability since 2013. Former editor of Responsible Investor.

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Articles

Should investors worry about plans to cull corporate sustainability disclosures?

1 week ago | ipe.com | Sophie Robinson-Tillett

Member states are meeting today to discuss their latest thinking on the EU’s plans to simplify its sustainability disclosure and due diligence laws. The Council of the European Union will consider a proposal by its current presidency, Poland, that the rules should be further cut back.
Lower-carbon bond portfolios outperform benchmarks, finds research

2 weeks ago | ipe.com | Sophie Robinson-Tillett

Mainstream credit portfolios perform better with a lower-carbon tilt, according to new analysis. A paper published last week by the Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute (AFII) claims that both active and passive low-carbon strategies have outperformed their benchmarks – by 168bp and 16bps per annum, respectively.
PensionsEurope and EFAMA warn against slashing sustainability rules

3 weeks ago | ipe.com | Sophie Robinson-Tillett

PensionsEurope has urged EU lawmakers not to weaken the bloc’s sustainability reporting rules, and to pause a review of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) until there is clarity on the future of the green taxonomy. The trade association today published its official position on the EU’s ‘omnibus package’, which seeks to cut back Europe’s sustainability disclosure and due diligence requirements to make them more business friendly.
Investors fight over what should be included in future SFDR regime

3 weeks ago | ipe.com | Sophie Robinson-Tillett

The European Commission has closed a call for evidence on the future of the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation (SFDR) on Friday. It received nearly 200 responses from investors, banks, NGOs, membership bodies and citizens, all with thoughts about how to improve the beleaguered transparency law, which seeks to prevent greenwashing by requiring fund managers, and others, to provide evidence of their sustainability claims.
Allianz piles in on biodiversity push from asset owners

4 weeks ago | ipe.com | Sophie Robinson-Tillett

Allianz has revealed plans to develop a new approach to managing biodiversity dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities in its portfolio. The insurance giant published a case study on Wednesday demonstrating how it uses guidelines from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) to assess different asset classes.
Finance sector claims more positive impacts on sustainability

1 month ago | ipe.com | Sophie Robinson-Tillett

Finance claims to be the sector with the greatest positive impacts on people and the planet, according to the first batch of mandatory EU sustainability reports. Analysis of statements made under the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) this year shows asset managers, banks and insurers are among the most optimistic about their contribution to environmental and social objectives.
AI proposals gain investor support amid broader ESG retreat at annual meetings

1 month ago | ipe.com | Sophie Robinson-Tillett

Shareholders are throwing their weight behind requests relating to artificial intelligence (AI), despite backing away from most other environmental and social topics at this year’s annual general meetings (AGMs). A research paper published by Morningstar examines how investors voted on 15 proposals tabled so far in the 2024 and 2025 proxy years, all addressing how US-listed companies are managing and reporting on their use of AI.
Scope 3 emissions data out by ‘up to 2,480%’ warns research

1 month ago | ipe.com | Sophie Robinson-Tillett

New analysis suggests investors’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data could deviate from reality by more than 2,000%. A comparison of estimated and verified Scope 3 emissions data for FTSE100 companies found the former was out by “up to 2,480%”. The estimates were calculated using a popular technique known as an Environmentally Extended Input Output (EEIO) model.
Are investors mis-valuing corporate sustainability?

1 month ago | ipe.com | Sophie Robinson-Tillett

Investors are valuing ESG and corporate sustainability wrong. That’s according to the academics behind two separate papers published in journals last month. The first explores how ESG factors influence company valuations. Researchers at French business schools ESSCA and ESCP, and New York’s Cornell University, asked more than 300 financial professionals for their perspectives on the issue, including how they integrated ESG into their Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) calculations.
David Atkin resigns as CEO of Principles for Responsible Investment

1 month ago | ipe.com | Sophie Robinson-Tillett

David Atkin has announced his resignation as the chief executive officer of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). In a statement published by the UN-backed body today (Monday), the PRI said it had kicked off the search for a new leader, with Atkin expected to step down next year. He has held the position since the end of 2021, when he replaced outgoing CEO Fiona Reynolds, who moved back to Australia from London.