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Resource Hub

ESG

The Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Resource Hub provides investors and fund managers with essential insights into ESG-related investment strategies, stewardship practices, and the latest sustainable finance initiatives.

Overview

Investors worldwide are increasingly interested in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing. Fund managers are meeting this demand by offering funds with ESG-related investing strategies and through stewardship efforts. At the same time, policymakers across the globe are pursuing a variety of initiatives related to sustainable finance and ESG investing.

ESG Committees & Working Groups

Disclosure Working Group

The Disclosure Working Group provides a forum for members to discuss disclosure-related issues for all types of US registered funds, including comments received from SEC staff during the disclosure review process.

ESG Advisory Group

The ESG Advisory Group consists of firms represented on the ICI Board of Governors. Members actively contribute to identifying and reviewing ESG-related issues of fund industry-wide concern and work towards developing potential solutions through creation of industry publications, and recommendations to regulators, regulatory advisory committees, legislators, and others as appropriate.

Pension Committee

The Pension Committee, working with the ICI Retirement Policy team, promotes a sound policy framework for the retirement security of Americans who are invested in mutual funds and collective investment trusts through 401(k) plans, 457 plans, 403(b) arrangements, and IRAs.

Proxy Issues Working Group

The Proxy Issues Working Group provides a forum to examine how legislative, regulatory, and other developments related to proxy voting and governance issues affect registered investment companies (“funds”) and registered investment advisers. It assists ICI in formulating views on legislation or rule proposals to ensure that funds’ and investment advisers’ unique perspectives inform and influence policy; and  considers these matters from the perspective of funds’ dual roles as issuers (funds soliciting proxy votes from their shareholders) and institutional investors (funds voting proxies issued by their portfolio companies).

SEC Rules Committee

The SEC Rules Committee addresses SEC regulations and other regulatory and legislative issues, other than tax-related, affecting registered investment companies and registered investment advisers.

ICI Contacts

ESG News & Publications

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News Release

ICI Statement on SEC ESG Disclosure Proposal

ICI President and CEO Eric Pan released the following statement regarding the SEC’s proposal to require additional disclosure around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment practices: “ICI fully supports regulatory measures to address concerns around greenwashing.
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Policy & Regulatory Updates

ESG Research & Statistics

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Fact Sheet

Understanding Sustainable Funds: A Disclosure Guide (pdf)

Perhaps one of the most significant recent global trends is the increasing investor interest in ESG matters. The fund industry is responding to this increased investor interest by, among other things, creating new funds that explicitly tailor their investments to specific ESG criteria.
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Fact Sheet

Selected Legislative Developments in the United States – 2021

Selected Legislative Developments in the United States on Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues Updated April 13, 2021 117th Congress Legislative United States House of Representatives Legislation H.R. 1277, Improving Corporate Governance Through Diversity Act of 2021 To amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the submission by issuers of data relating to diversity, and for other purposes. Current Status: Referred to House Financial Services, Feb 24, 2021 116th Congress: H.R. 5084. Passed House, Nov 19, 2019. Referred to Senate Banking H.R. 1187, ESG Disclosure...
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Member Resources - Memos

Additional Resources

View ICI Member-Only Webinars on State ESG Matters

The first webinar explored how the National Securities Market Improvements Act of 1996 (NSMIA) circumscribes state regulatory authority over federally registered investment companies, broker-dealers, and investment advisers.

The second webinar explored actions that state legislatures and regulators have taken to restrict or promote ESG-related investing in their states.

View webinars here.

Understanding Sustainable Funds

One of the most significant recent global trends is the increasing investor interest in ESG matters. The fund industry is responding to this increased interest by, among other things, creating new funds that explicitly tailor their investments to specific ESG criteria. For simplicity, we refer to these funds as sustainable funds. 

Find out more using these ICI resources.

An Introduction to Sustainable Investing Strategies

ICI and its members seek to promote greater public understanding of ESG investing and encourage the use of consistent terminology. Click here to read the paper.