Sunday Brunch: the binary chasm
Hydrogen is good. Hydrogen economy is good for all things. Hydrogen is bad. Dangerous. Inefficient. It's bad for all things. H2aiku. Back in February Steven wrote a Deep Dive highlighting how the ESG and sustainability debate has been oversimplified to the point where organisations have inadvertently over-promised and
PFAS - paints, pesticides and 'puters.
'Forever chemicals' are facing increasing scrutiny over their potentially harmful impacts on the environment and our health.
Supply chains come under even more scrutiny
As public opinion leads, legislation follows, at least in Europe. The most recent legislative move is on deforestation, but it's just one of a wave of new laws and regulations. And behind legislation comes litigation.
Sunday Brunch: investing is not just about generating alpha
At it's heart our financial system is really simple. Money flows from savers to spenders. Where this system struggles is when the actions of the spenders impose costs on the wider society that mean that the net return to savers (financial return minus imposed costs) are reduced.
Has the outlook for green hydrogen got better?
Green hydrogen has been in the news recently. Does this mean that it's becoming more real? Or is much of it still hype - which risks creating a bubble? The short answer is (somewhat surprisingly), from an investment perspective, not much has really changed.
Sweden's wooden city
Wood has been used for centuries in construction but when managed appropriately could become key to making the built environment more sustainable.
Sunday Brunch: it's a question of character(istics)
The world of investing and sustainability can challenge our traditional ways of looking at the world and characterising and grouping things. When my children were younger we were fortunate to live in the countryside. Our back garden was a mixture of traditional and 'the wild' - the latter
Will consumers consume differently in an electrified world?
The shift to EVs and the broader electrification of various industries will have an impact on consumer behaviour and consumption patterns.
Is this what transition risk looks like?
We often read about transition risk and stranded assets, but what does this really mean, and how does it get reflected in the financial statements and value of companies? The short answer is - much more slowly than you may think.
Sunday Brunch - who decides the topics for engagement?
Unless you have been living off grid, you will know that one of the defining debates around ESG and Sustainability relates to engagement - by which we mean interacting with companies to get them to change their behaviour.
Processed foods - from cost advantage to competitive disadvantage
High Fat, salt or sugar content ultra-processed foods have been a major contributor to the growing obesity pandemic. Calls are growing to shift to healthier options.
Yes, we need more mining but how much investment do we need?
Yes, decarbonisation of our economy is going to require a lot more of certain minerals. But, how much more, and how much will this cost?
