Sustainable Investing
The integration of financially material environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors in our fundamental research enhances our understanding of investment risks and opportunities.
Consistent with our emphasis on active management, our ESG integration approach emphasizes proprietary analysis rather than third-party ratings.
| Beyond Third-Party Ratings | Because they’re based largely on publicly available data, third-party ratings don’t always convey the nuanced factors that affect a company’s ESG profile—or assess how material these factors are to financial performance. Furthermore, the availability of ratings data varies. |
| Opportunities for Active Managers | Digging deeper to find information that isn’t readily available and scrutinizing that information to determine what it means for a company’s prospects is the essence of our fundamental, bottom-up research process. |
| A More Nuanced Approach | Our research analysts develop relationships with corporate management teams and seek to understand how sustainability aligns with longer-term strategy and financial performance—a more thoughtful, nuanced approach we believe can create significant value for our clients. |
Our investment teams routinely meet with investee companies and engage on financially material ESG issues. In 2025, William Blair Investment Management engaged with 63 companies in 19 different countries across equity strategies. In addition, our emerging markets debt team conducted 25 engagements in 6 different countries, including sovereign and corporate issuers.
Resources and Insights
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Integration Policy
William Blair Investment Management believes in the importance of integrating key environmental, social, and governance considerations into our investment processes.
Approach to Climate Change
William Blair Investment Management strives to invest and operate for a sustainable future and to create enduring value for our clients, colleagues, and communities.
