Introducing RISE Sustainable Investment Consultancy

Introducing RISE Sustainable Investment Consultancy

We started RISE in 2022 because the ESG and sustainability landscape is a vast and complicated one. Separately and together, we have witnessed ESG integration grow since the launch of the six Principles for Responsible Investment in 2006 and simultaneously advised many investors on how to integrate ESG analysis into the investment process. Our combined 40 years of sustainable investment experience has enabled us to help investors understand where sustainable investment has come from, where we are now, and where companies and investors are heading. 

A lot is going on in sustainable investment. Many investors and companies simply don’t have the time or resources to give ESG issues the attention they deserve. Investors and companies are expected to have detailed net zero plans, be compliant with current regulations, be ready for pending legislation, and be able to advise their management and the board on sustainability-related risks and opportunities. An article from Forbes summarized the plight of the chief Sustainability Officers (CSO) best in an article about the role of CSOs and their major challenge of “creating a new mindset throughout an entire global organization.”

This culture challenge is no small feat for investors and companies with only a handful of staff. In the corporate world, the average sustainability team is still small, with only 2-5 people at US companies and 6-10 people at European companies. Smaller and mid-sized companies often have no one with full-time sustainability responsibilities.

What we do 

At RISE, we help companies, investors, NGOs, and other stakeholders understand how to incorporate sustainability and ESG risk factors into their investment decisions, strategy and planning. Our services and tools cover:

We organize our lines of research and advice into three distinct areas of expertise: 

Climate capital, natural capital, and social & human capital are new disciplines to several investors and companies. Each of these capitals start with the risks and opportunities inherent in each. However, to understand how climate capital, natural capital, and social & human capital are measured, managed, and deployed, we have to understand the whole story and how each capital exists separately and how they inter-relate. These stories include an understanding of economics, natural resources, geopolitics, and of course human nature. It is a dynamic story, but one we can help clients tell.  

Always forward 

Materiality is our north star and central to our approach to evaluating sustainability issues and guiding our clients. If an issue is material, it belongs in the story, if not, it is up to the storyteller whether that information is needed or not. Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. We believe with strong ESG integration practices, we can achieve positive real-world outcomes and investments will continually flow to climate capital, natural capital, and human & social capital.

It doesn’t have to be that hard to integrate ESG investment risks and opportunities and do it well. The sustainable investment landscape need not be overly complicated. We are committed to helping our clients navigate current and new sustainability issues and their related regulations, standards, and technologies. 

Tagged