Fast fashion’s climate issues get little investor attention, with household names largely absent from collaborative engagement initiatives and stewardship reports.

This is despite the flurry of challenges associated with the fashion industry, which produces huge amounts of waste and is responsible for an estimated 8-10 percent of global emissions.

But with an increasing regulatory focus on greenwashing and supply chains, as well as the controversial expected IPO in London of instant fashion giant Shein, the sector’s sustainability issues could rise up the agenda of investors.

In this episode, Elza Holmstedt Pell and Gina Gambetta discuss why fast fashion is struggling to decarbonise and – drawing on insights from market participants – outline examples of what investors are (or could be) asking of their holdings in the sector. [Time stamp: 01.17]

Also in this episode, Lindsey Stewart, Morningstar Sustainalytics’ director of stewardship research and policy, talks to Elza about his observations on asset manager behaviour in the 2024 proxy season, and gives his views on recent stewardship developments by US investment giants. [16:05]

Finally, Gina sits down with RI features writer Paul Verney to talk about ESG proposal trends at AGMs this year – which new topics have emerged and how have they fared? [29:31]

Exxon Mobil is taking legal action against activist investors, the UK has relaxed the rules for firms looking to list in London, and companies are holding their annual meetings behind closed doors.

For Jen Sisson, the new CEO of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), these developments are all part of a worrying erosion of shareholder rights in multiple jurisdictions around the world.

In conversation with Responsible Investor's editor, Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, she explains how and why ICGN is pushing back against this trend, the issues with dual-class shares and virtual AGMs, and why good governance is key to tackling environmental and social issues.

Hundreds of financial institutions with more than $100 trillion in capital have signed up to reach net zero by 2050 or earlier, and many investors have committed to 2025 interim targets.

In this inaugural episode of The Responsible Investor Podcast, Elza Holmstedt Pell and Paul Verney bring you insights from conversations with investors about how likely these targets are to be met.

The discussion covers progress made towards the goals and key hurdles investors say they are grappling with – including legal and reputational concerns – and what this could mean for net zero as a concept for financial institutions.

Also in this episode, RI reporter Fiona McNally cuts through the headlines on the first wave of adoption efforts of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards – with insights from chats with market participants – and our senior reporter Khalid Azizuddin provides an explainer of the hugely popular temperature scores metric.

Introducing The Responsible Investor Podcast, where we'll delve into the latest developments and debates in sustainable investment. Hear our award-winning journalists and influential industry guests share their insights on topics such as net-zero, transition finance, biodiversity and nature, regulation, and ESG data and disclosure. To learn more and see all your subscription options, go to www.responsible-investor.com/podcast