The European SRI Study 2016

In 2016, the European Sustainable Investment Forum presented the findings of its 7th Sustainable and Responsible Investment Study, first published in 2003. The Study highlights the scale of Sustainable and Responsible Investment practices and trends in Europe and across 13 European countries. For the first time, the Study provides new detailed insights on Exclusions, Impact Investing and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) integration practices. Some of the Study’s most important findings include, among others:

• Exclusions are still the most popular SRI approach with over €10 trillion of assets under management, showing a 48% increase.
• Impact Investing is the fastest growing SRI strategy with €98 billion, up from only €20 billion in 2013.
• Norms-based screening has now become the second most significant SRI approach with over €5 trillion Assets under Management and a growth rate of 40%.

In this study Impact Investing is once again confirmed as the fastest growing strategy with a growth of 385%. Although the growth remains small in terms of assets, it has made Impact Investing, once more, the most dynamic and definitely the most promising approach for investors. The 2016 SRI study features a special focus section on Green Bonds