Can sustainable investments meet fiduciary requirements of care and diligence?

As more and more sophisticated investors find long-term competitive advantages in strategies that incorporate material environmental, social and governance ("ESG") factors into investment analysis, prudent adoption of mission-aligned investment techniques is consistent with fiduciary duties.

Reports and Resources 

• ESG is Dead – Long Live ESG: Guidance for US Pension Fiduciaries, Keith Johnson, Rick Funston, Tiffany Reeves, BoardSmart, May 2023
• The Cambridge Principles: System Stewardship for Universal Owners, The Shareholder Commons, November 2021
• A Legal Framework for Impact, Freshfields, PRI, Generation Foundation, and UNEP FI, July 2021
• Intergenerational Equity and Sustainable Investing, Commonfund, George Suttles, April 2020
• Incorporating ESG Factors into Corporate Governance, ValueEdge, January 2020
• What Should Trustees Do About Climate Change?, Aon, August 2019
• Commentary: Fiduciary duty yellow flags for proxy season, Pensions & Investments, Keith Johnson, Susan Gary, and Cynthia Williams, April 2018 
• Best Interests in the Long Term: Fiduciary Duties and ESG Integration, Social Science Research Network, Susan N. Gary, University of Oregon, February 2018
• Leading Practice Briefing on Fiduciary Duties for Endowments and Foundations, Intentional Endowments Network, prepared by Megan Jackson and Keith Johnson at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c., February 2017
• Application of Fiduciary Duty to Sustainable Investment Practices, Susan N. Gary (University of Oregon), Keith L. Johnson & Megan K. Jackson (Reinhart Attorneys at Law), November 2015
• Cambridge Handbook of Institutional Investment and Fiduciary Duty - Chapter 8, June, 2014
• Chapter 16 of Sustainable Investing: The Art of Long Term Performance, Stephen Viederman, 2008
• To join the discussion, join our Fiduciary Duty and Policy Working Group
• Video: Panel from the April 2014 Intentionally Designed Endowments Conference featuring:
  • Jay Youngdahl, The Youngdahl Law Firm
  • Susan Gary, University of Oregon School of Law
  • Keith Johnson, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.
  • Moderator: David Dinerman, Hampshire College Trustee