Tag: sustainability

For most people, purchasing a home represents the largest investment they will ever undertake, and carries emotional significance as a symbol of stability, security, and achievement. Property can offer much more than just a place to live – and it can also be a powerful investment vehicle capable of generating wealth, providing liquidity, enhancing cash flow, and diversifying one's portfolio.

South Africa is in the midst of a data centre boom. Thanks largely to improved connectivity, the number of local data centres has mushroomed over the past decade. In addition to regional players, big names such as AWS, Huawei, Google, and Microsoft have all invested heavily in local centres.

As the world’s second largest continent, the vast expanse Africa lends itself to remote operations, often hundreds of kilometres away from civilisation and the hub of infrastructure and supply such as energy. Industries like mining, minerals and metals often must contend with considerable energy loss or high transportation costs of diesel (for self-generation) due to these vast distances.

Farming is a long game that requires patience, perseverance, and strategic planning across all aspects of the operation. While every farmer understands this when it comes to tending crops and raising livestock, the same can’t always be said for managing their finances; and taking a short-sighted approach to financial planning can be as devastating to a farmer’s livelihood as a flood or drought would be to his or her operations.

Although decarbonising an investment portfolio is a multi-faceted, multi-stage exercise, it needn’t be complicated. Adding the dimension of sustainability – in this case, decarbonisation – to your portfolio construction process does not mean changing your approach entirely.

Climate change poses risks to economies, companies, and investments. It is an important focus for us as active owners of assets on behalf of our clients. Many companies are carefully considering their exposure to climate risk and outlining their decarbonisation ambitions. What role can active ownership play in this, while also protecting and enhancing the value of investments?

When you hear the word ‘carbon emissions’, images of towering chimneys at coal-fired plants, endless motor vehicles on the highway, and large-scale manufacturing facilities may come to mind. But have you ever considered the environmental impact of your company laptop? Research shows that 3.7% of carbon emissions, also known as global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), are caused by digital technologies.

Procurement and supply body adds voice to discourse over legislation and calls for more radical reforms to root out corruption. We have submitted a series of detailed recommendations for South Africa’s Public Procurement Bill with the intention of advancing the principles of ethical procurement practices within the Southern Africa region.

For many business leaders, the heat is on. They face inflation, supply chain disruption, labour shortages, and pricing pressures. Protecting margins while meeting customer needs and navigating economic uncertainty is crucial. However, many lack transparency and granularity in actual cost structures.

Mining is a historically linear process – we take materials from the earth, make products from them and eventually throw them away as waste. With the intensification of climate change, environmental degradation, pollution – all products of linear economies – the mining industry needs to transition to a circular economy.