The Principles for Responsible Investment aim to help investors integrate consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into investment decision-making and ownership practices, and thereby improve long-term returns to beneficiaries.

The principles are designed to be compatible with the investment styles of large, and often diversified, institutional investors that operate within a traditional fiduciary framework. They apply across the whole investment business and point to a number of approaches—such as active ownership and the integration of ESG issues into investment analysis—that socially responsible investors and many corporate governance fund managers also practice.