This book provides evidence on the relevance of environmental and social factors in decision making. It discusses the Gold Standard Frameworks for integrating extra-financial risks into the philosophy, culture, strategies, products and value chain management procedures of investment and banking and highlights the current emergence of global administrative law. New emerging topics like positive impact investing and finance, climate friendly markets, human rights, the enhanced role of fiduciary duties and shared values are approached with a lot of examples for practical application. Steps towards a new banking culture, a new climate for double loop learning and sustainable financial innovation are outlined and the additional benefits of robust stakeholder engagement explained. The anthology paves the way from robust impact and risk management to positive impact creation and a new investment culture. As well, challenges for the implementation and ways to overcome them are broadly discussed. The book is rooted in the fact that institutions and investors which fail to professionally integrate the management of extra-financial risk into their whole lending and investment chain and fail to move to positive impact creation may well loose positions and mandates and finally the trust of their clients, partners and stakeholders.  The contributing authors of this anthology are internationally renowned experts in the field of ESG and impact investing. The compendium brings together practitioners and academics to allow a confluence of thoughts, concepts and viewpoints. This huge variety of perspectives and approaches makes this volume a comprehensive compendium on responsible investment and banking.

Dr. Karen Wendt is head of the Equator Principles Team of a top tier global bank, where she introduced the Equator Principles, an environmental and social risk management framework. Karen started her career at Deutsche Bank after achieving her Bachelors Degree from the University of Regensburg and working for the European Commission. She holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool. Karen Wendt has been one of the initiators of the Equator Principles and is a Member of the Steering Committee of the Equator Principles Financial Institutions Association since its inception. She has undertaken research on investment banking culture, the role of alignment of interests and values and the impact of leadership behavior on trust and value identity. She has more than 20 years experience in investment banking. In addition she is editor of scientific books on the subject of responsible investment banking and positive impact investment and finance.

Introduction.- Governance, Corporate Culture and Leadership in integrating CSR.- The cross cutting issues in the IFC Performance Standards.- The EBRD ESG Standards and their impact on the markets.- Implementing Environmental& Social Risk Management on the ground.- Translating Standards into successful implementation: Sector Policies and Equator Principles.- Consultant of the Strategic Review of Equator Principles.- An investigation on Ecosystems Services, the role of Investment Banks and investment products to foster conservation.- Public Sector Interventions to mobilize private capital for climate- friendly markets.- Implementing ESG in the Financial Sector in Russia - a Journey towards more Sustainability.- Interview: Implementing International Good Practice Standards - Pragmatism versus Philosophy.- Tipping Points - Learning from Pain.- Sustainable Private Equity investments and ESG Due Diligence Frameworks.- PRI in principle good.- Investing in the ESIA and Stakeholder Engagement Process.- Positive Impact Business and Finance: a challenge for industries and services, a pre-eminent role for the financial sector.- Adopting EP in India.- Sustainability Reporting in China.- Sustainability on Planet Bank.- The Gender Bias in Asset Management.- Women on Board.- Corporate Social Responsibility in modern Central and Eastern Europe.- The Equator Principles A critical analysis.- Half the footprint -double the impact.- Why not? Sustainable Finance as a question of mindset.- Managing assets in a complex environment: an innovative approach to sustainable decision-making.- Extra-financial performance made tangible handprint approach financial institutions.- Afterword.