What is the PRI and PRI reporting?
This article outlines what the PRI is and what it is for. If you are interested in becoming a PRI signatory, or would like help with your PRI reporting or improving your PRI score, please see our PRI services page.
The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is a global network that promotes the integration of sustainability and governance factors into investment and ownership decisions. Established to advance six principles of responsible investment, the PRI seeks to support its signatories to understand the financial implications of sustainability consideration.
Whilst the PRI is supported by the United Nations, it remains a separate entity and operates independently.
The Principles
The six principles of the PRI are as follows:
We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making process.
We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.
We will seek appropriate disclosures on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.
We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry.
We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles.
We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles.
Asset owners, investment managers and related service providers can publicly demonstrate their commitment to these principles by becoming signatories of the PRI. To do so, they must meet the PRI’s minimum requirements and uphold its six guiding principles. Today, the PRI has more than 5,200 signatories, collectively representing $139.6tn in AUM.
Danesmead Advisory is a proud signatory of the PRI.
Why be a Signatory?
There are a number of benefits to PRI membership including:
Signalling / Marketing tool
Becoming a PRI signatory offers a clear and credible way to demonstrate to investors that your organisation meets a recognised baseline for responsible investment practices.
In addition, the PRI collaborates closely with other sustainability initiatives such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) and UN Global Compact (UNGC).
Industry standard
A growing number of now actively request or require PRI membership as part of their due diligence and selection criteria. UCITS platforms may also require managers to be members in order to host them. For many institutional investors, being a PRI signatory is now considered a baseline requirement for investment, serving as a clear indicator of an organisation’s commitment to responsible and sustainable investment practices.
PRI Reporting
Becoming a PRI signatory gives you the ability to share a standardised report of your responsible investment integration, based on the PRI’s Principles, with your stakeholders.
Signatories also benefit from access to the PRI Data Portal, which includes peer reports, benchmarking data, and detailed assessment and reporting guidance. This enables organisations to learn from industry best practices, track progress, and continuously improve their sustainability integration.
Learning and Resources
Becoming a signatory enables you to access and participate in industry events, workshops, and advisory committees. The upcoming launch of Pathways is expected to provide access to responsible investment resources and guidance to help signatories to implement and grow responsible investing processes and incorporate ESG factors into investment decision-making.
Minimum Requirements
To become a signatory, a company must meet some minimum standards. The current minimum standards are:
Internal or external staff implementing responsible investment
Senior leadership oversight of responsible investment
Policy setting out overall approach to responsible investment covering at least 50% of AUM
PRI Reporting
As part of their commitment to the Principles for Responsible Investment, signatory organisations are required to report annually on their responsible investment policies, processes, and activities. This ensures accountability and transparency in line with the PRI’s standards.
In return, signatories receive two key outputs:
A publicly available Transparency Report, which outlines their responses to the PRI’s reporting framework,
A private Assessment Report, which evaluates and scores their responses against the PRI’s criteria, offering insights into performance and areas for improvement.
In 2026, reporting will once again be mandatory for established signatories. This follows a two-year period during which organisations that had previously completed the full reporting framework were allowed to opt out of full reporting. It’s also important to note that new signatories benefit from a one-year grace period, during which their first reporting cycle is voluntary. This allows new members time to familiarise themselves with the PRI framework and prepare for future reporting obligations.
2026 PRI Reporting Framework Launch
The 2026 PRI Reporting Framework is expected to be officially released during PRI In Person, taking place from 4–6 November 2025. While the new framework will continue to reflect the core themes of responsible investment seen in previous iterations, it will feature a new set of questions—streamlined to around 40 mandatory indicators.
PRI Pathways
‘Pathways’ is a new concept the PRI introduced in 2023. This initiative sets out three distinct “journeys” that signatories would elect to align with:
Pathway A: Incorporating ESG factors
Pathway B: Addressing the drivers of sustainability-related financial risks
Pathway C: Pursuing positive impact
The Pathways are seeking to develop a blueprint that signatories can follow to advance their responsible investment practices in a more tailored way. Each pathway will contain 8 pillars: policies & governance, investment analysis, setting sustainability targets, collaboration, engagement with investees, engagement with policy makers, engagement with clients & beneficiaries, and investment decision making. Under each of these pillars will be a variety of practices, divided up into levels which a signatory may advance through.
The PRI currently anticipates that the Pathways will be available to use in 2025, with foundational reporting available in 2026. More in depth progression reporting is expected to be available from 2027.
Need Help with PRI?
Danesmead Advisory provide a range of PRI services from becoming a signatory to PRI reporting and improving PRI score. Please get in touch to discuss how we can help you take the first step, maximise your rating, and get ready for the Progression Pathways.
Further Reading
