The Sustainability Principles and Objectives (SPO) Framework is an ESG framework for late-stage private companies, companies preparing to go public, and early-stage public companies. The SPO Framework is designed to ensure that a company at this stage of development takes into consideration positive ESG outcomes, as well as the need to mitigate negative ESG factors,

Net Zero Asset Manager Signatories now total 220 managing more than USD 57 trillion in assets under management. This means that more than half the world’s assets are now committed to achieving net zero by 2050 or sooner. Read the full progress report here, including Inherent’s commitment of 74% AUM to be managed in line

Driving change is not always possible. The conventional wisdom regarding distressed credit investing is that the complex negotiations and fast pace of transactions at companies under duress thwart transitions toward sustainability and inclusion. Negotiating haircuts and covenants is already challenging, and the urgency of corporate distress amplifies the myriad difficulties of evaluating ESG, including inconsistency

Inherent Foundation is hiring its first Managing Director. The Foundation is committed to improving access to quality education, protecting the environment, and developing sustainable capital markets. It receives a portion of the profits generated by Inherent Group. This first dedicated staff member at the Foundation will lead programmatic and grant-making work. Working closely with the

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Inherent Group Advisor Tensie Whelan, Clinical Professor for Business and Society at NYU Stern School of Business, posits that many boards have little ESG-related expertise and many do not even recognize the need to pay attention to material sustainability issues.   She concludes stating that ensuring good performance on

The PRI aims to provide market participants with a comprehensive resource on ESG-related activities at Credit Ratings Agencies (CRAs). This quarterly report compiles CRA’s latest resources as a tool in market participants’ ESG integration process. It also allows CRAs to showcase their ongoing efforts to be more transparent about how ESG factor affect credit opinions

Brian Tomlinson of CEO Investor Forum and Tensie Whelan of NYU Stern, Center for Sustainable Business and also an advisor to Inherent Group have some executive-ready recommendations for solving the problem of “two separate narratives” in corporate disclosure with “one telling how profitable a company is, and the other highlighting whether the company is good

Vital Farms, Inc. (Nasdaq: VITL), a Certified B Corporation that offers a range of ethically produced pasture-raised foods nationwide, announced the closing of its initial public offering on August 4, 2020. Read more here.

Forbes contributor Bhakti Mirchandani details the US Department of Labor’s proposed rule clarifying the application of the fiduciary duties of prudence and exclusive purpose under ERISA to pension plan sustainable investments in the article titled How To Read The Proposed New ERISA Rule And What It Gets Wrong On Sustainable Investing.  She notes “the Secretary

This Ceres report outlines how and why U.S. financial regulators, who are responsible for protecting the stability and competitiveness of the U.S. economy, need to recognize and act on climate change as a systemic risk. It provides more than 50 recommendations for key financial regulators to adopt, including the Federal Reserve Bank (the Fed), the

Inherent Group’s portfolio company Generate Capital announced on February 4 that it has secured over $1 billion in funding. Participating investors included AustralianSuper, QIC, Railways Pension, and AP2 of Sweden. The funds will accelerate the company’s deployment of sustainable infrastructure in asset classes including battery storage, solar, energy efficiency, and electric vehicles.

Inherent Group’s portfolio company Vital Farms, in a pioneering initiative in food traceability, enables consumers to see (pre-recorded) 360-degree video of the pastures where the eggs from a given carton are laid. The effort comes amidst increasing consumer interest in understanding where their food comes from, which is particularly relevant in a vertical where claims

“BlackRock’s renewed promise to actively engage, and when necessary, vote against companies that are not making sufficient progress on sustainability and climate risk will help to build a more transparent capital market system.” -Mindy Lubber, CEO & President, Ceres

From an international carbon pricing regime to ‘going olive’, The FT’s Moral Money team highlights 20 ESG ‘resolutions’ to watch for in the new year.

Investor demand is surging for green, social and sustainability bonds and loans as well as debt securities that react to the sustainability performance of the borrower.

David Solomon. CEO of Goldman Sachs, says the company is targeting $750 billion of financing, investing and advisory activity to areas focused on climate transition and inclusive growth. He also calls for governments to put a price on the cost of carbon. Mr. Solomon writes, “Looking ahead, the needs of our clients will increasingly be

Companies are increasingly correcting accounting problems by quietly updating past numbers, rather than alerting investors and reissuing financial statements. A study finds that almost half of these  “quiet” revisions to SEC filings from August 2004 through 2015 met at least one of the guidelines for them to be considered “Big R” restatements that require alerts

Why Enel’s SDG-linked issuance is a potential game-changer in the world of sustainable credit. Sustainability KPI linked to interest margin step-up Expands investor base for ESG-linked products Unconstrained use of proceeds broadens the issuer base

Moody’s lowered ExxonMobil’s credit outlook to negative from stable – in part due to the “emerging threat” to fossil fuel companies from climate change regulation and tax, with the oil major also exposed to “rising” litigation risk linked to climate change and related disclosures.