Some 1,260 companies, managing $45 trillion worth of assets, are signatories of the United Nations’ “principles for responsible investment,” which recognize environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors – and thus the long-term health and stability of companies and markets – as critical to investors. One signatory, CalPERS, one of the world’s largest institutional investors, has gone a step further: it will require all of its investment managers to identify and integrate ESG factors into their decisions – a bold move that could transform capital markets.
大约1,260家公司——它们管理着价值45万亿美元的资产——签署了联合国的“负责任的投资原则”。该原则认为环境、社会和治理（ESG）等因素——因此公司和市场的长期健康和稳定亦然——是投资者所要考虑的关键问题。加州公务员退休基金（CalPERS）是全世界最大机构投资者之一，它也是签署者之一，但它更进一步，将要求所有投资经理认识ESG因素并将其纳入投资决策中——这是一项可能改变资本市场的举措。