RLAM's Mike Fox: UN SDGs 'not fit for purpose' in responsible investing

Preferred bespoke model

Mike Fox, head of UK sustainable investments at Royal London Asset Management, has criticised the use of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for responsible investment, stating that they are “not fit for purpose”.

In a talk at the Square Mile Investment Conference today (27 September), Fox stressed how  the SDGs were useful for government and society, but asked why firms did not instead use a bespoke model which considers risk and reward instead of them. Jennifer Anderson, co-head of sustainable investment and ESG at Lazard Asset Management, agreed, stating that she had been "surprised" how much the industry had adopted SDG, with Lazard being "very cautious" on claiming its products are SDG-aligned. Jupiter's Buxton blames 'ESG zeitgeist' for energy crisis over Putin She explained that with ...