RESPONSIBLE INVESTING 2025

The 2025 assessment by WWF reveals a mixed landscape in asset management's approach to seafood-related E&S risks. While 40% of assessed firms showed improvements—largely through enhanced biodiversity commitments and adoption of TNFD recommendations—43% stagnated and 17% declined, with declines notably concentrated among US-based firms. A critical gap remains: only one asset manager (NBIM) has disclosed seafood-specific E&S expectations for investee companies. Despite the growth of 'blue' financial products, they represent a small fraction of sustainable finance, and most asset managers' engagement with seafood companies remains ad hoc rather than systematic.

• Of the 42 asset managers assessed, 40% (17) showed minor or moderate improvements in managing E&S risks, while 43% (18) stagnated and 17% (7) experienced declines. The declines were attributed to reduced E&S disclosures and diminished engagement with portfolio companies, with five of the seven declining firms headquartered in the United States.
• There is a significant gap between high-level biodiversity commitments and specific seafood sector policies; only one of the 42 assessed asset managers, Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), has publicly disclosed seafood-specific E&S expectations for its investee companies.
• Asset managers are increasingly formalizing biodiversity risk management. As of mid-2025, 43% (18) include biodiversity risk management in investment, risk, or thematic policies, an increase from 33% in 2023. Conversely, the use of white papers or blogs to disclose these views dropped from 31% in 2023 to 9% in 2025.
• Adoption of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) recommendations is rising, with 45% (19) of assessed asset managers making explicit references to the TNFD by mid-2025, compared to only 8 managers in 2023.
• While 93% (39) of asset managers engage with investee companies on general E&S issues, only 14% (6) specifically engage with seafood companies. These engagements are characterized as predominantly ad hoc rather than systematic.
• Blue finance products remain a niche segment of sustainable finance. Although 79% (33) of assessed managers offer green or sustainable finance products, only 10% (4) explicitly reference products supporting sustainable seafood.
• The seafood sector faces severe financial risks from ocean health decline, with WWF research estimating that up to US$3.16 trillion in seafood-related assets and revenue could be at risk over the next decade.
• Global investment in nature-harming activities vastly outweighs investment in protection; UNEP's State of Finance for Nature 2026 report indicates that for every US$1 invested in protecting nature, US$30 is invested in activities that harm it.

APA

Lynch, L., & Shaffer, C. (2026). RESPONSIBLE INVESTING 2025. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2265/WWF-getting-underway-report-2025.pdf

Chicago

Lynch, Lauren, and Christina Shaffer. RESPONSIBLE INVESTING 2025. WWF International, 2026. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2265/WWF-getting-underway-report-2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lynch |first1=Lauren |last2=Shaffer |first2=Christina |title=RESPONSIBLE INVESTING 2025 |publisher=WWF International |date=March 2026 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2265/WWF-getting-underway-report-2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lynch2026responsible, author = {Lynch, Lauren and Shaffer, Christina}, title = {{RESPONSIBLE INVESTING 2025}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2265/WWF-getting-underway-report-2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }