Alternative investment funds are unprepared for bringing in science-based targets (SBTs) due to a lack of in-house expertise, implementation time lags and difficulties with measurement, according to research from RBS International. The bank surveyed 125 key influencers across multiple jurisdictions and sectors. Just 42% of respondents said their funds were implementing science-based targets, despite 82% saying that those targets are important to their fund. The Science Based Targets initiative was launched in 2015 to mobilise the private sector to set standards that companies could adhere to in their journey towards net zero. “Although setting SBTs remains voluntary, peer pressure and net zero initiatives are also becoming a force to be reckoned with,” the report said. Investing in the right resources, both in-house and third-party, will be crucial to successfully implementing targets and accelerating the transition to net zero, it added.
