Sustainability Themes for 2025

Blue Summit
15 hours ago
2 min read

After At Blue Summit, we partner with fund managers who share our belief that strong, responsible businesses make strong, long-term investments. Parnassus Investments—one of our core partners—recently released their 2025 Stewardship and Sustainability Report, and we wanted to share some of the highlights with you.

We often reference the term ESG, but here’s a quick refresher. ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance—a framework investors use to evaluate how companies care for the planet, their people, and their principles. It’s a rubric to better understand how they operate. ESG factors can help identify well-managed businesses that keep sustainability in focus.

Parnassus engages directly with companies to improve how they manage real-world challenges like climate change, worker well-being, and ethical leadership. The 2025 report highlights how their hands-on approach drives meaningful progress. Here are a few quick takeaways:

Climate Action: 61% of Parnassus fund holdings now have science-based carbon-reduction targets. They’ve worked with companies like FedEx and AMD to adopt net-zero goals and publish climate transition plans.
Water Stewardship: Through dialogue with Microsoft, Parnassus is helping reduce water stress and promote replenishment projects in high-impact regions.
Chemical Safety: They’ve encouraged Sherwin-Williams and Costco to phase out harmful materials like PFAS and improve transparency in product ingredients.
Responsible AI: Engagements with NVIDIA focus on building strong governance and human-rights safeguards around artificial intelligence.
Corporate Governance: Parnassus uses its voting power to push for fair executive pay, board independence, and long-term accountability across its holdings.

We’re proud to align with partners like Parnassus who balance purpose with performance—helping our clients build wealth responsibly while supporting a more sustainable future. If you’d like to dig deeper, you can view the 2025 Stewardship and Sustainability Report here.