Driving corporate-investor action on sustainable development: a conversation with PRI CEO Fiona Reynolds & Peter Bakker

This article is based on the PRI podcast featuring PRI CEO Fiona Reynolds and WBCSD President & CEO Peter Bakker that was originally posted on the PRI website on 1 September 2020.

Published: 1 Sep 2020
Type: News

1 September 2020 – Last week, PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment) and WBCSD announced a landmark collaboration that will drive corporate-investor action on sustainable development.

In this podcast, Gail Whiteman, Professor of Sustainability, University of Exeter & Founder, Arctic Basecamp spoke with WBCSD’s President and CEO Peter Bakker and the PRI’s CEO, Fiona Reynolds.

Discussions focused on WBCSD and the PRI’s new collaboration created to redesign engagement between corporates and investors and to drive sustainability outcomes and value creation.

The podcast explores the rationale behind this critical and unique collaboration and what it aims to achieve. “In the last few years, we've seen a rapid growth in responsible investment. But we need to go further, faster. And that takes collaboration. We can’t do it on our own. We need to bring investors and business together.”, Fiona Reynolds said.

Peter Bakker added: “We need to bring the investors and corporations around the same table and have these conversations. What do we do with the standardized ESG information that is now beginning to be shaped? How do we present that in ways that are decision useful? How do corporations understand that investors will then use that information in their capital allocation decisions?”.

When asked what makes this collaboration different, Fiona replied: “We’re not trying to create a new standard or a new framework. This is about complementing existing efforts and approaches and to serve to strengthen the effectiveness of the existing standards and frameworks that are out there. It’s about getting some convergence and some decisions from investors and corporates about what it is exactly that they want and need”.

This episode is part of PRI podcast series that offers an insight into the world of responsible investment, with investor perspectives and discussion on a range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics.

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