Policy-makers and sustainable investors must consider the future of the food industry, according to a recent article posted by the IMF. Beyond the failure of our modern food industry to completely eradicate starvation while facilitating obesity, the authors highlight the problems posed by our unsustainable pattern of agricultural production.
During its latest funding round, plant-based food company Oatly attracted US$200 million in investments, including funds from a range of celebrity American investors such as TV presenter Oprah, rapper Jay Z and actress Natalie Portman, as well as from round-organiser Blackstone.
According to a recent report, BlackRock singled out the worst 53 companies “making insufficient progress integrating climate risk into their business models and disclosures” from a total of 244 identified laggards. These companies warranted active opposition via proxy voting against the board of directors or of other shareholders climate-related proposals. Volvo AB and Fortum are the two Nordic companies on the list and we took a closer look at their shortcomings.
Elsewhere, we noted that American Century Investments launched its first two ESG ETFs, the American Century Sustainable Equity ETF (ESGA) and the American Century Mid Cap Growth Impact ETF (MID).
Ulf Erlandsson has joined the investment advisory board of UK-based impact credit manager Tribe. He will advise Tribe’s CIO, Fred Kooij, and his team on credit markets, from a macro strategy perspective and on idiosyncratic issuer concerns, while providing insights on sustainable investment opportunities.
In the latest step towards expanding its ESG strategy J.P. Morgan Asset Management appointed Shizuko Ohmi, previously hade of ESG Japan for Amundi, as head of investment stewardship for the same region.
Picture by @MIRAHNEVA via Twenty20