Understand sustainability. Make better decisions.

What are you working on at Rio? I’m pleased to be working in a consultancy capacity with a number of public and private organisations. I’ll mostly be keeping up with the latest ESG reporting and disclosure requirements, becoming a trusted advisor to our clients leveraging my background in forestry and water management. I look forward to building that knowledge into the Rio Platform.

What began in the 1960s as a minuscule vote of financial conscience and remained that way until around a decade ago, has now emerged as a mighty force: ESG investing. In growing numbers, investors now act on ESG, even as they keep close watch on their returns. Indeed, the potential for financial choices to positively impact the planet matter more than ever and today’s worldwide markets are waking up to this reality. In America, 2021 investment giant BlackRock has launched its U.S. Carbon Transition Readiness ETF. And globally, ESG funds are projected to approach £1 trillion by 2030. That would surpass £4.1 billion invested for all of 2018 by close to 200 times.  Now the question is: How can the EU encourage its financial market participants and financial advisors to invest in sustainable options? This is where Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) enters. SFDR is a solution put forward by EU’s High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) on sustainable finance.

COP26 backstory The COP26, officially the 26th Conference of the Parties, will take place in Glasgow from the 31st of October to the 12th of November 2021. The 197 parties to the UNFCCC (United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change) will meet to accelerate the progress on the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. COP26 will focus on four main goals: Secure global Net Zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats Mobilise finance Cooperate to deliver such improvements. Climate Finance: what is it, and why is it central to COP26?

  In lucky number 13, we speak with Robbie Epsom, EMEA Head of ESG for CBRE Investment Management, about transparency, change and constant improvement in the industry, the effects of ESG on the property sector, and the need to think more broadly to achieve the SDGs.  

  In this episode, we chat with Mandhy Senewiratne, Director of Sustainability and Communications at Fyrefly Global Sustainability. Dan and Mandhy discuss the challenges within sustainability in Australia, her background in water and construction, why we all need to lead by example and more. Enjoy!  

  In this episode, we chat with Helen Wiggs, the Head of Corporate Climate at ShareAction, a non-profit focused on driving responsible investment. Dan and Helen discuss whether ESG is here to stay, the Investor Decarbonisation Initiative, her journey from investment banking to responsible investment and more. Enjoy!

At Rio, we are committed to practising what we preach which is why we have released our 2020-2021 annual report to reflect on our on-going progress against our 12 commitments stated in the Rio manifesto. This report is designed to highlight how Rio has helped organisations and individuals to be more sustainable.

Our Manifesto The Rio manifesto highlights the principles that drive us and the commitments we’ve made to our employees, customers, communities, and planet. There are 12 principles in our manifesto and the last principle focuses on practising what we preach. 

This year's theme for International Women's Day is choosing to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. In support of this, we are introducing the wonderful women of our team and have asked them to share their experiences on what they #ChoosetoChallenge.  Aya Sakamoto Aya is Product Manager and Principal Consultant at Rio. She is of Japanese heritage and was born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland until moving to the UK to complete her studies. Aya is focused on supporting Rio ESG’s client base, leading projects, and managing the development of the Rio platform.