Unpacking the EU's sustainable finance simplification agenda
The past six months have been dominated by EU sustainable finance regulatory developments, following the bloc's push to simplify and roll back several of the rules issued under its 2019 Green Deal.
On this episode, we are joined by Helena Viñes Fiestas, commissioner at Spanish regulator CNMV and former chair of the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance.
Having worked in sustainable finance for more than a decade, she talks us through her thoughts on the ongoing sustainable finance regulatory developments and what outcomes she is hoping for amid efforts to simplify the rules.
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How regulatory developments have shifted the European and UK ESG fund landscape
The UK's fund labelling regime under the Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and the European Securities and Markets Authority's new guidelines on the use of ESG terms in fund names have have sparked a wave of renaming, mergers, closures and portfolio reshuffling.
On this episode, we are joined by Hortense Bioy, head of sustainable investing research at Morningstar Sustainalytics. Bioy walks us through the most recent regulatory changes and what they mean for the EU and UK sustainable fund landscape. She also discusses the major challenges for asset managers looking to comply with the rules instead of renaming.
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Mid-season proxy scorecard: Taking stock of E&S shareholder proposals in 2025
ESG shareholder proposals have come under increasing scrutiny over the past few years, with debates focusing around their alleged prescriptiveness and quality. Support for these proposals also fell sharply from the record levels reached in 2021 before stabilising last year at around 20 percent.
Last year also saw ExxonMobil sue Dutch NGO Follow This and Arjuna Capital over a climate resolution. The lawsuit ended with the case being dismissed but Arjuna Capital had to promise never to file a resolution at the oil major again.
And following the election of Donald Trump, filers predicted that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would be more likely to side with corporates, increasingly allowing them to block ESG proposals.
So with all of this in mind, how are experts feeling about what we have seen so far this proxy season? How has the SEC's approach to ESG proposals shifted in 2025 – in particular, what has been the impact of Staff Legal Bulletin 14M (SLB14M)? And of the AGMs that have happened so far, what trends are emerging?
To dig into all of this and more, RI's AGM reporter Gina Gambetta sat down with two experts in the space. First up, Lindsey Stewart, director of stewardship research and policy at Morningstar Sustainalytics. And for the second part of the episode, Gina spoke with Damion Rallis, co-founder of ESG research and analytics firm Free Float.
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Climate scenario analysis: Getting to grips with a post-1.5C world
It is now a matter of broad consensus that the world will overshoot its 1.5C temperature goal, but that does not mean there is nothing to be optimistic about, according to climate finance expert Jakob Thomä.
He should know a thing or two about this topic. Thomä led the development of the first climate scenario analysis tool at 2 Degrees Investing Initiative and currently leads a think tank which makes predictions about future climate policy. He is also a professor in practice at SOAS and maintains a column here at RI.
He joins the latest episode of The Responsible Investor Podcast to talk about AI, why continued demand for oil might not translate into emissions, and why modelling social factors is "super crazy difficult".
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EU Omnibus: What's next for the sustainability simplification push?
It’s been just over one month since the European Commission announced its much-anticipated sustainability Omnibus plans, which would heavily water down the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and EU Taxonomy.
The EU executive wants the changes to be approved and implemented at a very quick pace, and much has already happened since the February announcement.
In this episode, senior reporter Fiona McNally – who has been on the ground in Brussels – talks to deputy editor Elza Holmstedt Pell about recent developments and initial reactions to the proposals ahead of some of the big negotiations expected in April.
Drawing on conversations with sources close to the process, the discussion will dig into the details of the CSRD corporate disclosure framework and how its data points could be “significantly reduced”, as well as what investors will miss out on and how they’ve responded to the Commission’s plans.
The Responsible Investor Podcast delves into the latest developments and debates in sustainable investment. Hear our award-winning journalists and influential industry guests share their insights on topics such as net-zero, transition finance, biodiversity and nature, regulation, and ESG data and disclosure.
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