The Sustainable Development Investments Asset Owner Platform (SDI AOP) has been acquired by Net Purpose, in a move set to create one of the largest independent providers of sustainable development data, serving clients representing more than $40trn (€34trn) in assets.
The merger, announced today, aims to create an advanced data infrastructure to help accelerate investing in climate and other UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Under the agreement, SDI AOP’s founding asset owners – APG, PGGM, AustralianSuper and BCI – will remain involved in governance and methodology oversight through board representation, as SDI AOP’s data and framework are integrated into the Net Purpose platform.
Speaking to IPE, Claudia Kruse, chief sustainability and strategy officer at APG and chair of the SDI AOP, said the SDI platform was established “to create a shared understanding of investments that contribute to the SDGs”.
She added: “Five years in, we are thrilled to have built a committed community of clients with whom we have set a global standard.”
Net Purpose founder and chief executive officer, Samantha Duncan told IPE that the partnership reflects a maturing sustainable investment market “aligning around common standards to achieve measurable impact”, as investor demand shifts from box-ticking compliance to real-world outcomes.
Net Purpose will integrate SDI AOP’s methodology, data processing and customer services into its platform, and will launch SDG classifications under the unified framework, with Duncan leading the organisation.
Earlier this year, SDI AOP launched a new product, the SDI Outcomes dataset, offering comparable information on ‘carbon emissions avoided’ and ‘people served’ for over 1,600 listed companies globally.
According to Kruse and Duncan, the acquisition aims to simplify SDG implementation and strengthen the credibility of impact measurement. Both organisations said the platform will align with international standards such as the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), with the goal of helping investors implement these frameworks, rather than compete with them.
Lars Dijkstra, chief investment officer of PGGM, said: “SDIs are one of the central characteristics of the investment approach PGGM takes. With this combination of Net Purpose and SDI AOP we have great confidence in the further development of a methodology for global investors to select portfolio companies that generate good financial returns while having a positive impact on the world.”
The collaboration should offer a “positive counter-narrative to perceptions of increased scepticism around sustainable finance” and highlights the continued institutional commitment across Europe, Canada, and Australia, according to Kruse and Duncan.
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