The burgeoning field of sustainable investment: Past, present and future

Abstract

The current concern with sustainability issues pervades all scientific fields. Sustainable investment is not an exception judging by the significant increase in the literature. This work provides an extensive up-to-date overview of studies on sustainable investment, revealing current trends, identifying gaps and future research topics. A total of 1091 documents are reviewed and bibliometric analysis is used with two approaches: data analysis and conceptual structure of the field. Additionally, a classification into 12 categories by topic is proposed. The results show that more than 40% of the publications belong to analysis of classical investment tools with a gradual evolution towards the concept of "green" instruments. Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) strategies have changed over time from "screening" to the current "best-in-class", "Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) integration" and "impact investing." The results of the study are valuable for academics and practitioners, as they show the current state of knowledge, evolution paths and emerging topics.

Sustainable investments: a scientometric review and research agenda

“…This study differentiates itself from the previous bibliometric reviews (Beisenbina et al, 2022;Dervi et al, 2022;Fabregat-Aibar et al, 2019;Losse and Geissdoerfer, 2021) by inculcating all the existing perspectives on sustainable investments and covering a broader spectrum of research on SI. For instance, the earlier bibliometric reviews did not include "environmental investments" and "green investments" as keywords while searching for relevant records.…”

Building a Better Future with Sustainable Investments: Insights from Recent Research

“…Sustainable investments encourage practices that are good for the environment and society, which lead to sustainable development. By giving money to projects and businesses that care about sustainability, these investments move us closer to a more equitable and sustainable future (Beisenbina et al, 2022).…”

“…Sustainable investments refer to such activities where investors aim to maximise their financial returns without compromising with the environmental standards and social values in the long run. Combining traditional investment approaches with ESG insights has led to investors generating more comprehensive analyses and making better investment decisions (Beisenbina et al, 2022). The adoption of such investment strategy by the investors ensures that the firms' performances are evaluated not solely on financial parameters but the impact of firms' activities on environment and society is also taken into consideration.…”

“…By encouraging long-term and fair economic growth, ESG investments play a critical role in human development. Moreover, the ESG approach aligns with several of the United Nations SDGs, including eradicating poverty (SDG 1), promoting quality education (SDG 4), achieving gender equality (SDG 5), ensuring access to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), supporting decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), promoting responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) and taking action on climate change (SDG 13) (Folqué et al, 2022; Beisenbina et al, 2022).…”

“…The evolution of sustainable investments as a distinct academic field in recent times is being witnessed by variety of writings in reputed of journals, academic conferences, seminars, debate and discussions focusing on sustainable investments (Beisenbina et al, 2022). Studies on sustainable investments can provide valuable insights for investors, policymakers and other stakeholders to drive positive changes towards a more sustainable future.…”