Aligning the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with business strategy

Infrastructure is a compelling asset class for any investor prioritising sustainability. The transport, energy and utilities sectors play a critical role in enabling a low-carbon world. But how do major infrastructure investors ensure their portfolio meets both sustainability needs and their financial objectives?In our latest Sustainability Inspires podcast, Ruairi Revell, Head of Sustainability, and Maciej Tarasiuk, Head of Investments for abrdn’s economic infrastructure business, discuss how they select, engage with, and manage infrastructure investments to achieve optimal outcomes for abrdn investors and society.

At abrdn, engaging with the companies in which we invest – especially by exercising our right to vote at annual shareholder meetings – is a key way we look to drive positive change and improve performance of our clients’ investments.But what does voting involve? How do we decide how to vote? And on what issues has abrdn been voting in 2024? In our latest Sustainability Inspires podcast, Andy Mason and Joanna Sulc of the abrdn Investments Active Ownership team explain all.

Join Fionna Ross, Kate McGrath and Nicole Lim as they discuss the power of investor engagement in fixed income. 

Fionna Ross invites Sarah Norris, Head of ESG in the abrdn Equities team, to discuss impact investing through the lens of public markets.  

We built our climate transition investment team four years ago. Fionna Ross invites Samuel Grantham and Thomas Leys, Investment Directors in the abrdn Fixed Income team, to share their learnings and to discuss what lies ahead. 

Amanda Young talks to Dr Jeremy Leggett, Founder and Executive Director at Highlands Rewilding, about the positive effects rewilding can have on nature, climate and society.  As a social entrepreneur, author and climate campaigner, Jeremy has had an extensive and illustrious career. His expertise includes setting up businesses, advising governments, and campaigning for a greener world. Drawing on his experiences, Jeremy shares his insights about why he believes nature-based solutions will emerge as the next significant trend in finance.  

Georgie Nelson invites Vivienne King and Andy Smith of The Good Economy to delve into the environmental and social aspects of real estate investments. Focusing on the residential sector and affordability, they examine various assets and their social impact. They also emphasise the financial industry's crucial role in driving responsible investing.

At COP28, there were positive outcomes with the continued recognition of 1.5 degrees as the North Star and the inclusion of fossil fuel phase-out in the final wording for the first time. Eva Cairns invites Faith Ward to discuss her valuable insights.

Samuel Bevan from abrdn’s emerging-market debt team talks to Sima Varsani of Helios Towers, a leading telecommunications infrastructure company. Sima discusses how Helios Towers integrates sustainability into its business strategy and how this aligns with the UN’s SDGs.  

We are currently not on track to hit net zero by 2050.  Eva Cairns and Sonja Gibbs explore how effective policy alignment and collaboration can help enable sustainable finance to get us on the right path.