That’s despite a barrage of headwinds from the Russia-Ukraine war which provoked an energy crisis and soaring inflation to a regional divergence in political pressure over sustainability itself. Anti-ESG sentiment has been rising in parts of the US, whereas in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, investors fear the reverse situation of being penalized for not integrating ESG.

In short, the key issue now is moving from aspiration to implementation. Investors are converting a desire for more sustainable policies into the actual integration of net zero in portfolios.