281. Navigating changing demographics through impact investing

The world's population is projected to become more urbanised, with 68% living in cities by 2050, according to our guests Kate Hewitt and Harriet Topham, ESG and Impact specialists at Montanaro Asset Management. We dive into this theme of the built environment, changing demographics and urbanisation's impact on investments. Harriet illustrates the point with examples from the Montanaro Better World fund such as Marshalls, Bentley Systems, and Sdiptech. The discussion ends with the importance of achieving net zero targets by 2050 and Montanaro's role in the sustainability journey of smaller companies.What’s covered in this episode: What is impact investing? How is ESG embedded at Montanaro?The six themes within the Montanaro Better World fundThe UN’s Sustainable Development GoalsHow changes in demographics and urbanisation require sustainable solutionsWhat is the built environment? Three companies contributing to sustainable urban developmentWhat are digital twins?The importance of achieving net zero targetsThe difference between science-based targets and non-science-based targetsWhy engagement with companies is crucialHow Montanaro provides guidance to firms just starting out on the path toward sustainabilityMore about the fund: The Montanaro Better World fund is a global equities fund that focuses on identifying medium and small-sized businesses. These businesses are selected based on their products or services, which have a positive impact on the world. The fund employs a straightforward positive impact screening process, which aligns well with its overall strategy. Learn more on fundcalibre.comPlease remember, we’ve been discussing individual companies to bring investing to life for you. It’s not a recommendation to buy or sell. The fund may or may not still hold these companies at the time of listening. Elite Ratings are based on FundCalibre’s research methodology and are the opinion of FundCalibre’s research team only.Learn more on fundcalibre.comPlease remember, we’ve been discussing individual companies to bring investing to life for you. It’s not a recommendation to buy or sell. The fund may or may not still hold these companies at the time of listening. Elite Ratings are based on FundCalibre’s research methodology and are the opinion of FundCalibre’s research team only.