The 2021 Global Sustainable Investment Survey published by FTSE Russell has shown another increase in ESG adoption among global asset owners.

In EMEA the survey says sustainable investment evaluation and adoption by asset owners is nearly universal (97%), up from the 85% in 2020 and 72% in 2018. Nearly half (49%) of asset owners in North America implement sustainable investment strategies to avoid harming their institution’s reputation while 60% in EMEA and 64% in Asia Pacific choose this reason.

Meanwhile, in EMEA and Asia Pacific, the priority focus area is climate and carbon, with over two-thirds of asset owners focused on this area (77% and 68%, respectively). In North America, the focus is strongest on social themes (62%), followed by governance (58%) and climate/carbon (56%).