Below is an excerpt from ISS-Corporate’s recently released article “Climate Action 100+: Trends and Expectations for 2026”. The full article is available on ISS-Corporate’s resources page.
Climate Action 100+ is one of the largest investor-led engagement initiatives focused on the world’s highest-emitting companies. Launched in 2017, it brings together several hundred asset owners, asset managers, and engagement service providers to encourage 170 focus companies to reduce emissions, strengthen governance, and improve climate-related disclosures. The initiative does not provide voting recommendations, but its company list and the expectations embedded in its Net Zero Company Benchmark have become reference points for stewardship teams during proxy season.
In the past couple of years, several large U.S. managers – including J.P. Morgan Asset Management, State Street Global Advisors, and PIMCO – have withdrawn, and BlackRock shifted its participation to a non-U.S. affiliate. While notable, these departures coexist with continued global participation: hundreds of signatories remain involved, and new investors have joined under the initiative’s second phase. Overall, Climate Action 100+ continues to influence how many investors approach climate risk and company engagement ahead of the 2026 proxy season.
By:
Kosmas Papadopoulos, Executive Director, Head of Sustainability Advisory – Americas, ISS-Corporate
