UK-based Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation and CCLA Investment Management have launched a global consultation on how to use investor influence to reduce air pollution caused by companies. The consultation seeks feedback from investors, companies, NGOs and academics on proposals for a corporate benchmark to compare firms’ management of air pollution, alongside a structured investor engagement initiative and a collective policy engagement effort. The consultation, conducted by Chronos Sustainability, is open until 17 December, with findings scheduled for publication in February 2025. According to a 2022 UK Health Security Agency report, the burden of long-term exposure to air pollution in 2019 was an effect equivalent to between 29,000 to 43,000 deaths for adults aged 30 and over. In the same year, the global cost of health damages from particulate matter air pollution was estimated by the World Bank at US$8.1 trillion, equivalent to 6.1% of global GDP. Companies are major contributors to air pollution, with sectors such as energy, construction, transport, and agriculture having the largest impact. The consultation will initially focus on companies involved in on-road transport. “Alongside CCLA we are calling on investors and businesses to come together to put air pollution on their sustainability agendas,” said Matt Lomas, Engagement Director – Investment, at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation’s endowment. “We believe that via collaboration we can take meaningful action, and in doing so, have a significant positive impact for people and planet as well as business resilience.”
