Sustainability in Conversation

Join us for a digest of the latest research, analysis and insights on the relationships between environmental, social and corporate governance issues and global business, finance and society. In each episode, hear from experts sharing their insights on how institutional investors can identify and mitigate risks related to ESG or climate factors, but also leverage opportunities in sustainable investment and debt capital markets. This is Sustainability in Conversation.

Sustainability in Conversation is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 80 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Sustainability in Conversation, a business show with 80 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #80

  Sustainable Bonds in a Maturing Market

  Sep 10, 202640 min

  Host: Melissa Chase, Senior Content Marketing Manager, Morningstar Sustainalytics Guest: Agnes Grouc, Co-head Sustainable Capital Markets Solutions, BNP Paribas Begum Gursoy, Director, Market Development, Morningstar Sustainalytics On the Next Phase of Sustainable Finance This episode of Sustainability in Conversation explores how the sustainable debt markets are maturing as investors and issuers shift their focus from commitments and frameworks to evidence, delivery and long-term credibility. Agnes Gourc, Co-Head of Sustainable Capital Market Solutions at BNP Paribas, joins Begum Gusoy, Director, Market Development at Morningstar Sustainalytics, to discuss evolving investor expectations, the continued role of labeled bonds in capital markets, and why capital allocation and transition planning have become critical indicators of a credible sustainability strategy. Their conversation examines the integration of sustainable finance across debt markets and what that means for issuers, banks, and investors navigating the next phase of market development. Share Your Feedback Please take a moment to share your thoughts on Sustainability in Conversation. You can email us at podcast@sustainalytics.com. Key Moments 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:17 A conversation with Agnes Gourc 00:04:34 How are sustainable fixed income transactions being discussed today? 00:09:34 How are investors assessing the cost/benefits of issuing labeled debt? 00:16:27 How is the greater focus on climate credibility showing up in use of proceed bond issuances? 00:20:40 What are some challenges in surfacing the entity-level transition story in issuances? 00:28:55 How do you see the sustainable debt market evolving? 00:34:48 Sign off Links to Select Resources Global Sustainable Fund Flows: Q2 2026 in Review

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  Episode #79

  The Investor’s Role in Addressing Climate Change

  Jul 27, 202634 min

  Episode Summary Host: Catalina Secreteanu, Managing Director, ESG Solutions, Europe, Sustainalytics Melissa Chase, Senior Content Marketing Manager, Morningstar Sustainalytics Guest: Tom Gosling, Professor in Practice, Financial Markets Group, London School of Economics Lindsey Stewart, Director, Institutional Investor Content Strategist, Morningstar On Investors’ True Impact on Sustainability In this episode of Sustainability in Conversation, we are delighted to share an intriguing and insightful conversation direct from London Climate Action Week. Friend of the show and former host, Lindsey Stewart, sat down with Tom Gosling, Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics, to discuss the investor’s role in climate transition. The conversation points toward a more pragmatic phase of sustainable investing — one centered on fiduciary duty, policy engagement, investor agency, and asset-owner leadership, rather than ambitious but difficult-to-deliver climate commitments. Additionally, Catalina shares why she’s feeling energized and inspired following a week of climate conversations with peers in London and talks about Morningstar Sustainalytics’ recently announced collaboration with XDI and Veridion to bring enhanced asset-level physical climate data to the market. Share Your Feedback Please take a moment to share your thoughts on Sustainability in Conversation. You can email us at podcast@sustainalytics.com. Key Moments 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:36 A conversation with Lindsey Stewart 00:07:32 A conversation with Tom Gosling 00:30:38 Sign off

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  Episode #78

  Climate Transition Investing: Signals, Strategy, and Scale

  Jun 25, 202638 min

  Host: Catalina Secreteanu, Managing Director, ESG Solutions, Europe, Sustainalytics Melissa Chase, Senior Content Marketing Manager, Morningstar Sustainalytics Guest: Thomas Hohne-Sparborth, Head of Sustainability Research, Lombard Odier Alex Osborne-Saponja, Director, ESG Methodology On Aligning Capital With Climate Outcomes This episode of Sustainability in Conversation focuses on investors and climate transition. We start with an insightful conversation with Thomas Hohne-Sparborth, Head of Sustainability Research at Lombard Odier. He discusses how the asset management firm’s systems-level view of climate transition informs their investment strategy, and shares what that looks like in practice. Next, we hear from Alex Osborne-Saponja, Director of ESG Methodology at Sustainalytics and co-author of Transition or Illusion? What Capital Flows Reveal About Net Zero Credibility. Alex shares insights from the report, which examines capital expenditures as a key signal of corporate climate transition credibility. She details why capex is an important indicator and highlights a “mosaic approach” to analysis, combining multiple indicators to infer transition direction. Share Your Feedback Please take a moment to share your thoughts on Sustainability in Conversation. You can email us at podcast@sustainalytics.com. Key Moments 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:38 A conversation with Thomas Hohne-Sparborth 00:17:14 A conversation with Alex Osborne-Saponja 00:34:00 Sign off Links to Select Resources What Capital Flows Reveal About Net Zero Credibility Climate Transition Toolkit

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  Episode #77

  Testing Markets and Building ESG Resilience

  Jun 9, 202628 min

  Host: Catalina Secreteanu, Managing Director, ESG Solutions, Europe, Morningstar Sustainalytics Melissa Chase, Senior Content Marketing Manager, Morningstar Sustainalytics Guest: Bin Dong, Lead Analyst, ESG Methodology, Morningstar Sustainalytics On the Evolution of Sustainable Investing and Constructing More Resilient Portfolios In this episode of Sustainability in Conversation, we welcome our new co-host, Catalina Secreteanu. Catalina has worked in the sustainable investment space for the past 17 years, holding roles at UKSIF and Sustainalytics in the UK and Australia. During that time, she’s had a front row seat to how the industry has evolved. She shares her thoughts on where the market has been and where it’s going, as well as the challenges and opportunities along the ways. Melissa and Catalina also sat down with Bin Dong, Lead Analyst, ESG Methodology, and author of the report “ESG Resilience in Focus: What the US-EU Divergence Means for Portfolio Performance.” Building on analysis from a previous publication, this report examines how portfolios adjusted for material sustainability factors perform under pressure in US and EU equity markets. Bin shares the most recent findings and explains how investors could leverage the insights for their own approaches. Share Your Feedback Please take a moment to share your thoughts on Sustainability in Conversation. You can email us at podcast@sustainalytics.com or take this short survey. Key Moments 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:46 A conversation with Catalina Secreteanu on the evolution of sustainable investing 00:14:13 A conversation with Bin Dong about ESG risk and portfolio resilience 00:24:01 Sign off Links to Select Resources Report | ESG Resilience in Focus: What the US-EU Divergence Means for Portfolio Performance Webinar | ESG Resilience in Focus: How Markets Price Risks and What It Means for Portfolios Report | ESG Risk Ratings: A Protective Instrument Amid Economic Shocks

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  Episode #76

  ESG in Conversation: 2025 Proxy Season Review

  Dec 18, 202524 min

  Episode Summary Host: Melissa Chase, Senior Content Marketing Manager, Morningstar Sustainalytics Lindsey Stewart, CFA, Director, Institutional Investor Content Guests: Angela Flaemrich, Director, Stewardship Matteo Felleca, Analyst, Stewardship Ignacio Garcia Giner, Senior Analyst, Stewardship Bonus Episode: 20-25 Proxy Season Review In this episode, recorded earlier this year, Lindsey sat down with Angela Flaemrich, Matteo Falleca and Ignacio Garcia Giner from Morningstar Sustainalytics’ ESG Proxy Voting Overlay team to discuss their insights from the most recent proxy season. Insights from the discussion include: The decline in the number of sustainability-focused resolutions Changes to the regulatory landscape Increasing support for resolutions related to shareholder rights Lower support for proposals related to climate and DEI issues Key Moments 00:00:04 Introduction. 00:02:12 Highlights of the sustainability-related proposals from 2025 proxy season. 00:04:55 Insights on support levels for sustainability-related proposals. 00:08:31 Insights on the changing topic mix in the 2025 proxy season. 00:11:12 Overview of climate proposal trends. 00:14:52 Overview of social proposal trends. 00:19:04 Thoughts on the 2026 proxy season. Links to Selected Resources Can Big Tech Keep Its Climate Commitments as Data Centers Scale? Investor Views on AI Oversight Voice of the Asset Owner Survey 2025 Qualitative Insights Voice of the Asset Owner Survey 2025 Quantitative Analysis

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