LSEG Sustainable Growth

How can private capital help solve real-world challenges while delivering attractive returns?

 In this episode of the Sustainable Growth podcast, Jane Goodland speaks with David Epstein, Managing Director at Aviva Capital Partners, about investing beyond traditional asset management. David explains how Aviva Capital Partners uses its balance-sheet capital to support early-stage projects that may fall outside conventional investment mandates, with the aim of earning a fair reward while creating long-term impact. 

Exploring examples including the London Cancer Hub and electric bus financing with Rock Road, David discusses how patient capital and public-private partnerships can help unlock regeneration, housing and sustainable infrastructure projects across the UK.

Chapters

(00:00:01) - Introduction
(00:01:19) - From mathematician to leading Aviva Capital Partners
(00:02:52) - Why Aviva Capital Partners was created
(00:06:22) - Using balance sheet capital to unlock difficult investments
(00:08:00) - Balancing financial returns with sustainability impact
(00:09:30) - How Aviva evaluates social and climate impact
(00:11:42) - London Cancer Hub: investing in research and urban regeneration
(00:15:25) - Financing sustainable transport: rock road electric buses
(00:18:13) - Measuring success beyond financial returns
(00:19:15) - Public-private partnerships driving UK regeneration

How do ESG factors influence financial value?

Jane Goodland sits down with Michel Driessen, author of 'Green Gold', to unpack the findings of his book. Drawing on his experience in private equity, transactions and restructuring, Michel explains the concept of the ESG Value Bridge, how sustainability is assessed in M&A and due diligence processes and why investors are increasingly looking beyond compliance to identify value creation opportunities.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Michel's career: A portfolio of activities
(00:01:41) - Why write 'Green Gold'? The gap in ESG financial literature
(00:02:42) - Research process: Interviews and practical case studies
(00:04:13) - Unpacking the ESG value bridge
(00:06:24) - Private equity and ESG: From compliance to value creation
(00:10:06) - Palm oil case study: Trade-offs in sustainability decisions
(00:13:22) - Value destruction: Risks, reputation and market impact
(00:16:57) - ESG ratings and the need for deeper analysis
(00:18:26) - 2030 ESG outlook: AI, data standardisation and regulation

Seven of nine planetary boundaries are already breached – what does that mean for business decisions today? Jane Goodland speaks with Jean Oelwang, founding CEO of Virgin Unite who shared her view on the role business can play in tackling planetary limits. The conversation explored how Virgin Unite incubates impact-focused initiatives, and why understanding planetary boundaries is important for business, and growth opportunities.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Welcome and guest introduction
(00:01:25) - How Virgin Unite started
(00:03:49) - Four ways Virgin Unite drives change
(00:08:13) - Planetary boundaries explained
(00:10:02) - The Planetary Guardians
(00:14:10) - Why the Planetary Health Check matters
(00:20:33) - Tools to embed boundaries into decision-making
(00:22:30) - Why collaboration beats “hero” solutions

What does financing a sustainable economy look like in reality? In this episode, Dr Rhian-Mari Thomas, CEO of the Green Finance Institute (GFI), joins Jane Goodland to share examples of GFI’s first-of-a-kind-transactions and explore how to bridge the “transactions to transitions” gap. Rhian-Mari sets out GFI’s view of the need for granular sector-transition policy frameworks, and how more coordination across government, finance and industry can turn single transactions into sectoral transition at scale.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Rhian's career before the Green Finance Institute
(00:02:40) - GFI's mission
(00:05:20) - International work
(00:07:55) - The transactions to transitions gap
(00:13:13) - Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) case study
(00:16:19) - Scaling first-of-a kind transactions
(00:22:17) - Key takeaways for future focus

Water is becoming one of the most contested resources on the planet, with far‑reaching implications for economies, businesses and investors. Jane Goodland speaks with Franck Gbaguidi from Eurasia Group about the rise of the “water weapon”, how weak water governance is intensifying competition, and what companies and governments can do to manage growing water‑related risk.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Welcome and guest introduction
(00:01:15) - Eurasia's Top Risks 2026 report
(00:02:00) - The importance of international water governance
(00:04:43) - Unpacking water scarcity: Competition and managing disputes
(00:06:50) - Where water is being weaponised
(00:09:41) - The economic impact
(00:13:40) - Water infrastructure
(00:16:36) - Could costs change for water-intensive companies?
(00:17:40) - Water offsetting and sharing
(00:19:50) - Measuring water
(00:24:10) - Advice for businesses