Sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) in South Africa: A limited adoption of environmental criteria

Abstract

This paper explores whether Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) products and strategies in South Africa take environmental sustainability into account. It is based on a qualitative, empirical survey of 22 organisations which are signatories to the United Nation's Principle for Responsible Investment or offering an SRI product. By looking at how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are practically used in investment decision making and share ownership decisions, we found that most SRI products and strategies largely focus on social developmental goals whereas environmental criteria do not yet receive comparable attention from the SRI South African fund management industry.