Asset owners’ commitment to responsible investing and the effectiveness of such strategies are being tested like never before. Banking crises, stock market crashes and recessions have all happened since responsible investing’s popularity started growing across the institutional investment industry, but it has faced nothing like Covid.

People becoming prisoners in their own homes to avoid the virus led to the UK economy contracting by a fifth in the space of a month. A lower than expected recovery and record rise in redundancies are further evidence that these are unprecedented times.

Will asset owners ease the pressure on their portfolio companies to adopt sustainable practices during tough economic times, or is responsible investing needed now more than ever before?

We brought five asset owners together to discuss the impact that the pandemic is having on their responsible investment strategies.