Stockholm (NordSIP) – At New York Climate Week 2025, the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) once again showcased investors that are pushing the boundaries of sustainable finance. The annual PRI Awards, judged by an independent panel of more than 30 experts, highlight innovative action across climate, nature, and social themes. This year’s winners included Summa Equity, The People’s Pension (People’s Partnership), MSCI, the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Collective Impact Coalition on Ethical AI, BNP Paribas Asset Management, daphni (Private Markets Special Award) and the Church Commissioners for England (Asset Owner Special Award). In the “Recognition for Action – Nature” category, SAIL Investments took the spotlight for its pioneering work on integrating biodiversity and ecosystem considerations into private credit.
SAIL’s model sets it apart from many peers. The firm lends directly to mid-market and large corporates worldwide, embedding nature-related considerations into loan structures through tailored covenants and KPIs. By leveraging technical expertise, ranging from geospatial analysis to biology, SAIL ensures borrowers incorporate sustainability into their long-term growth strategies. The PRI judges highlighted the firm’s “holistic understanding of the interconnected challenges and opportunities at ground level,” a recognition that underscores how SAIL seeks to align resilient portfolio performance with ecological integrity.
Explaining the practical side of this approach, founder Johnny Brom detailed for NordSIP how SAIL relies on a wide array of data sources. “We use satellite imagery, deforestation alerts, biodiversity and climate global and specific risk maps, supply chain traceability tools, and local ESG benchmarks,” he said. Some of these, like Global Forest Watch, are public, while others are commercial datasets. “The challenge is turning that data into a coherent decision-making framework,” he added, noting that SAIL’s large sustainability team works directly with investment professionals to convert raw data into actionable covenants and performance indicators. These insights sit within global frameworks such as TNFD, TCFD, the SDGs, and SFDR Article 9, giving investors flexibility to align with their own approaches.
Scalability is central to SAIL’s ambition. “We founded SAIL to finance the transition of global industries to become more sustainable and to capture the value from supporting the first movers,” Brom said. The firm initially focused on the USD 13 trillion food and agriculture sector, given its direct connection to deforestation and biodiversity loss in tropical regions. With over one trillion dollars annually needed to transform such industries, the opportunity set is vast. “Our approach is to provide senior secured direct lending to mid-market and large cap corporates (typically family owned or closely held long-term businesses) and lock a Sustainable Value Creation Plan into the growth model through the use of smart sustainability covenants. This Private Credit + Natural Capital Approach is significantly scalable, if we think of the size and growth rates in the private credit world today and the need for protecting nature. This is not a niche play. It is central to building resilient food, climate, and trade systems,” he added.
Reflecting on the role of the PRI, Brom emphasised that the organisation sets the global standard for responsible investment. “The value of the award is not about us. It is about real-world solutions. It signals to the industry that nature is now a core variable in portfolios,” he said. For Nordic investors in particular, he suggested that global perspectives are crucial: “It is natural to start close to home, but climate and nature risks are systemic. The real pressure points are in regions intersecting with nature loss, from Latin America to Asia. That is where specialist managers can help, showing what risk looks like on the ground while generating value for portfolios.”
Brom also shared his impressions of New York Climate Week: “Nature was more prominent this year, which is encouraging ahead of COP30 in Brazil. At the same time, amidst political noise, I was happy to see ESG/Sustainability professionals talking more about the need to create real investment value and not just discussing the marketing value of a sustainability approach. Ultimately the scale of capital needed to protect nature will not come unless the right economic drivers are in place.”
For SAIL Investments, the PRI award is both validation and motivation. As nature rises on the agenda of global investors, the firm’s private credit plus natural capital approach demonstrates how financial resilience and ecological stewardship can reinforce one another. More than a trophy, the recognition sends a signal that protecting biodiversity is not a peripheral concern, but a core driver of portfolio value in the years ahead.
