Concept to Reality

By seeking investments with the four attributes in our Sustainability Quotient, it is possible to turn sustainable infrastructure investing into an institutional asset class.

The Next Institutional Asset Class: From Concept to Reality

Meeting the world’s growing infrastructure needs will require responsible development and significant capital.

The Guggenheim Sustainability Quotient For Institutional Investors

We believe an infrastructure or development project must be engineered to contain the four key attributes of our Sustainability Quotient at their inception before capital is committed.

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Social Impacts and the Practice of Direct Infrastructure Investment

Testing Industry Attitudes Toward a Common Reporting Approach for ESG Data Use in Infrastructure Investment

The survey, part of an ongoing collaboration between Guggenheim and WWF to better understand the parameters of sustainable infrastructure, demonstrates that ESG data users and data preparers are looking for well-defined and consistent metrics, standards and reporting frameworks for ESG. The survey suggests that the market sees value in convergence on an industry-tailored set of metrics for ESG data, but with almost 40 different frameworks currently in use by respondents, there is significant divergence in current ESG standards.

Press Release

The study by KPMG Advisory N.V. and Mott MacDonald takes the unique approach of surveying both ESG data users and data preparers to explore whether an industrywide standard approach to measuring ESG in infrastructure investment is desired and how this might be achieved.

Full Report

The 41-page full report concludes that it is time to take action on ESG data in infrastructure and work toward a standard set of metrics to be used universally.

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Social Impacts and the Practice of Direct Infrastructure Investment (2020)

In the first of a series of three research papers Guggenheim commissioned in 2020 that advocate for common standards and tools to advance investment in the sustainable infrastructure asset class, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University analyzed the social dimensions of infrastructure investing.

Press Release

The study by Tufts University resulted in a new report that evaluates emerging practices in the evaluation of social risk and impact of infrastructure projects.

Executive Summary

This 16-page Executive Summary shares conclusions and findings related to the social impact and risks of infrastructure investing.

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Full Report

The 56-page full report identifies the wide range of emerging practices used by institutional investors to measure social risk and impacts during the lifecycle of an infrastructure investment.

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External Sustainability and Resilience Appraisal of the Vertically Integrated Cargo Community (VICC™) at Los Angeles International Airport (2020)

The second of Guggenheim’s 2020 infrastructure sustainability research reports was prepared by the Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB). The report analyzes the pre-construction-phase of a transformative automated air cargo facility that introduces new standards within the global logistical supply chain. It applies the SuRe® standard, a certification system that promotes sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

Press Release

The Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB) report assesses a proposed project, the VICC™ at Los Angeles International Airport, for sustainability. The project was evaluated using the Standard for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure (SuRe©).

Executive Summary

This 12-page Executive Summary gives an overview of SuRe©’s utility in evaluating the sustainability impact of the VICC™ project and determines if the project is compliant with the criteria for certification.

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Full Report

The 34-page full report demonstrates the VICC™ project’s adherence to SuRe© guidelines, describes the assessment methodology, presents the results of the assessment, and provides recommendations for improvement.

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Measuring Sustainability in Infrastructure Investment (2020)

The third of Guggenheim’s 2020 infrastructure sustainability research reports was commissioned alongside the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as part of an ongoing collaboration between the two organizations to better understand parameters of and promote investment in sustainable infrastructure. Researchers from KPMG and Mott MacDonald applied a selection of ESG and sustainability standards to two different operating infrastructure assets: the Yatí-Bodega Road Interconnection in Bolivar, Colombia and the Carlsbad Desalination Plant in Carlsbad, California. The objective of the report is to assess the effectiveness and the practicalities of implementing these standards for investors.

Press Release

The Mott MacDonald and KPMG report evaluates the effectiveness of various ESG and sustainability standards by applying them to two different infrastructure assets.

Executive Summary

This 13-page Executive Summary provides an overview of the four sustainability standards used for testing, the infrastructure assets on which they were tested, and a brief summary of recommendations and findings.

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Full Report

The 77-page full report contains key insights, conclusions and recommendations in order to move us closer to adopting commonly used standards and measurements that must be in place before sustainable infrastructure investing becomes an institutional asset class.

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Sustainability Standards for Infrastructure Investors (2018)

The Sustainability Quotient is a framework for transitioning infrastructure investing into an institutional asset class. The next step in implementing this framework is to establish consistent methodologies for determining sustainability. Guggenheim tackled this problem, working with the World Wildlife Fund, and commissioned a report by the Stanford Global Projects Center to evaluate the state of the practice in sustainability standards.

Press Release

The study by Stanford Global Projects Center—commissioned by Guggenheim Investments and World Wildlife Fund—reviews a range of multi-stakeholder infrastructure sustainability standards and project rating programs.

Executive Summary

This 16-page Executive Summary offers conclusions and next steps for the sustainability standards and rating or accounting systems that are currently in use for infrastructure investment.

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Full Report

The 96-page full report details the standards and systems that have been developed for measuring and evaluating sustainable infrastructure investments.

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Concept to Reality

By seeking investments with the four attributes in our Sustainability Quotient, it is possible to turn sustainable infrastructure investing into an institutional asset class.

Testing Industry Attitudes Toward a Common Reporting Approach for ESG Data Use in Infrastructure Investment

Social Impacts and the Practice of Direct Infrastructure Investment (2020)

External Sustainability and Resilience Appraisal of the Vertically Integrated Cargo Community (VICC™) at Los Angeles International Airport (2020)

Measuring Sustainability in Infrastructure Investment (2020)

Sustainability Standards for Infrastructure Investors (2018)

Press Release

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