Pathways: A new offering from the PRI

The PRI’s Pathways offering provides a tailored approach to support PRI signatories in enhancing their responsible investment practices. With multiple journeys to choose from, signatories can access the most relevant resources and guidance that will help them advance from foundational steps to leading market practices. 

There are three pre-defined journeys within Pathways, all framed around different responsible-investment objectives.  

• Journey A: is for investors seeking to achieve competitive risk-adjusted financial returns by incorporating financially material sustainability-related risks and opportunities into investment and stewardship decisions.  
• Journey B: is for investors seeking to achieve competitive risk-adjusted financial returns by incorporating financially material sustainability-related risks and opportunities into investment and stewardship decisions which includes addressing drivers of financially material, system-level sustainability-related risks that affect returns. 
• Journey C: is for investors seeking to meet risk-adjusted financial return objectives while pursuing a positive, measurable impact by incorporating financially material sustainability-related risks and opportunities into investment and stewardship decisions. 

Signatories can choose to follow one or more of these journeys, or they can find their own route through Pathways to identify the resources that are most relevant to their responsible investment approach. There is no hierarchy between the journeys which have been designed to recognise the range of valid roles investors play in a sustainable financial system. There is no need to follow a specific journey and, for educational purposes, signatories may choose to engage with multiple routes. 

How were the investment journeys in Pathways developed?  

The pre-defined journeys were co-designed with signatories, including through our strategy consultation, in-person and online workshops and focus groups.  

How do Pathways account for objectives varying within an organisation - e.g. through different investment strategies/portfolios/products?

Pathways includes practices which can be applied at the entity or organisation level alongside those that may vary across an investor’s offering. By mapping PRI services to different objectives, practice areas and levels of sophistication, signatories will be more easily able to access the most applicable support in each case.

Do Pathways present a new signatory requirement? 

Pathways does not represent a signatory requirement. Pathways is a new way of presenting PRI content, designed to make it easier for signatories to find relevant resources matched to responsible investment objectives. Engagement with Pathways is entirely voluntary. 

What will Pathways mean for PRI reporting? 

The reporting transition will begin in 2025. This year’s reporting has been simplified while providing consistency with the 2024 process. The journey of improvement will continue into 2026 with the new model of Reporting which will include around 40 mandatory questions focused on the six Principles for Responsible Investment.  

How will Pathways address the proliferation and duplication of sustainability reporting investors face? 

Through 2025 reporting, we are capturing the main voluntary and regulatory frameworks and standards against which signatories are reporting. This information will be used to guide the further iterations of Pathways to provide a more holistic picture of the wider responsible investment landscape.

Will Pathways be updated as responsible investment trends and practices continue to evolve? 

Pathways will be updated periodically to reflect changes in the activities and needs of our signatories based on emerging practices and trends in responsible investment.  

When will Pathways be available? 

The PRI will release the first iteration of Pathways in November 2025. Signatories will have the opportunity to explore the framework and provide feedback. 

Will service providers be able to use Pathways?  

All signatories will have access to Pathways to navigate through PRI’s responsible investment resources, though Pathways has been designed specifically with investors in mind.

Can non-signatories use Progression Pathways?  

Exactly which aspects of Pathways and the associated resources and services will be publicly available – and which will be available only to signatories – is still in development.  

How can I learn more about Pathways? 

In April we will launch an information hub on our website which will include more information about Pathways. Signatory feedback on the information they would find useful and helpful formats would be welcome as we continue to provide updates in the run up to the launch of Pathways in November. 

If you have further questions about Pathways, please contact [email protected]

Background to the Pathways project

Responding to signatory needs

In 2022, the PRI conducted a global signatory consultation – PRI in a Changing World  – to explore key issues for the future of responsible investment and the PRI’s role in it. The consultation involved 38 workshops held across 30 cities and a  webinar  that reached more than 750 signatories. 

In February 2023, the PRI Board reviewed the consultation results, which found that more than 80% of signatories believed they should be able to demonstrate their progress in terms more relevant to them, as PRI CEO David Atkin outlined in this blog . 

The co-design process 

In October 2023, the PRI embarked on a large-scale co-design with signatories. Hundreds of active signatories attended in-person and online workshops, took part in focus groups, participated in 1:1 interviews and completed in-depth surveys. In March 2024, the PRI published a blog update on the co-design process (additional opportunities for signatories to be involved will be available in 2025). 

Integrating Pathways into the PRI Strategy 

The PRI embedded signatory development into its Strategy Plan 2024-27. Pathways will be available to use in 2025. Plans for Reporting in 2025 are outlined in this R&A Update.