Special Reports provide in-depth FT coverage of countries around the world, as well as industries from tech to luxury and themes ranging from workplace health to entrepreneurship.

FT Wealth: September

The Financial Times proposes to publish this magazine on 06th September 2024.

We plan to include the following pieces of content (please note: this list is provisional):

How the uber wealthy actually don't give much of their money away. 

If you asked Jeff Bezos, in like 1999, if he made 100bn, how much of that would he give away, he would have said 99bn. But that has not come to pass. 

The reality is that founders who wait to get involved with charity never really level up to the per cent that those who start out with it do. Giving is not a natural impulse/ generating huge wealth actually changes the way your brain processes empathy. 

Chinese wealth managers see business soar as rich families bring in portfolio professionals.

Paul Rippon, co-founder of Monzo, leaves the City to run an alpaca farm with his wife. Making money didn’t make him happy, is he happy now?

The future of niche German private banking

For decades, small private banks have serviced wealthy German families, despite the competitive pressure from much larger rivals based in Switzerland, London and the US. What is the future for these niche institutions? 

Space travel and the wealthy

Family Offices are investing in space and a lot of venture capital groups in the sector are raising money from them as they are long term investors more inclined to invest in something that may take years to bear fruit.

Commodity traders and what they are doing with their millions 

One has invested in a game reserve in South Africa, while others have used their money for various business ventures.

USUAL COLUMNS

Editor’s letter

Rigby column 

Guest column  

Book review 

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

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Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised that Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

FT Business Education:  

Masters in Management

The Financial Times proposes to publish this Special Report on September 09, 2024.

We plan to include the following pieces of content (please note that this list is provisional):

Introduction

An analysis of the FT ranking of leading MiM programmes around the world and trends in the sector.

The Masters in Management Ranking

The 2024 ranking of MiMs, plus school profiles, key and methodology.

Confidence

Surveys show Generation Z students are asking for support in developing self confidence, ready for their working lives. How are business schools responding? 

MiM + MBA

Exploring how some schools are introducing options to bridge the gap between MiM and MBA degrees, encouraging candidates ultimately to pursue both, for example through dual programmes or by offering shorter MBAs for previous MiM graduates. 

Spiritual Growth

Looking at religiously-backed schools, which are at the forefront of the “humanistic management” movement, intended “to create sustainable flourishing on Earth rather than short-term wealth”, in the words of Michael Pirson, one of its proponents.

Peace and Understanding

At a time when many university campuses are hotbeds of protest against wars and conflicts, how are business schools preparing MiM students to manage in a world where peace and human rights are increasingly important to colleagues and customers? 

Big Plan on Campus

European business schools are investing heavily in campus expansion. While some are developing their sites on the continent, others are building shared campuses further afield to accommodate rising interest in study abroad.     

Interview

An in-depth interview with a graduate about their studies and what it has meant for their career. 

Starting Out, Starting UP

With MiMs typically studied immediately after a bachelor's degree, and young people increasingly ambitious to launch businesses at an early age, how are schools preparing future entrepreneurs? 

Data

FT ranking specialists explore trends in masters in management, illustrated with charts.

Global Education Editor’s Letter

Looking at developments in business education and our coverage of it. 

Student Views

Students and graduates share their experiences of study and what came next.

Technology

An FT tech specialist explores developments that will affect business and our working lives. 

In Real Life

A graduate explains what it was like to study for a MiM and what it has meant for their career, in their own words.  

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. 

Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

 Gemma Taylor +44 (0)20 7873 3698, gemma.taylor@ft.com

Matt Rodford +44 79212 50719, matthew.rodford@ft.com

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised that Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

FT Health: Communicable Diseases

The Financial Times proposes to publish this FT Report on 12 September 2024

We plan to include the following features (please note that this list is provisional):

Future Pandemics

The recent spread of H5N1 in animals, with some limited transmission to humans, has raised concerns about new epidemics. International efforts to prepare have stalled since Covid-19, including around a proposed pandemic treaty.

Vaccines

From RSV to malaria and tuberculosis, a series of new vaccines are in development and being distributed to tackle infections. Lower income countries are also building more manufacturing capacity to boost supplies. But funding and challenges in coverage present continuing concerns. 

OR

The thermal and transport requirements of the blockbuster vaccines that are coming online

OR 

Vaccines and borders - what happens when you have highly vaccinated populations such as Rwanda's bordering unvaccinated reservoir populations such as the DRC;  and how conflict plays into this; are bricks and mortar healthcare centres more conflict-vulnerable than light footprint drones-based provision, after the explicit attacks on healthcare we have seen in Myanmar and Sudan?

Science of Communicable Diseases 

A look at some of the most interesting recent insights into the understanding of communicable diseases and innovative responses.

Medical Products and Sustainability

The pandemic generated enormous amounts of waste from PPE, diagnostics, vaccine syringes and other equipment.  A look at the extent, efforts to recycle and initiatives by manufacturers and public health/medical practitioners to reduce the future burden

Disease Profiles 

The latest on recent developments with specific diseases such as the re-emergence of measles, polio in Gaza and New York, progress in tackling TB or the spreading threat of Dengue.

Disease Surveillance

There are a growing number of networks and new techniques to identify the emergence and spread of infections, coordinated by groups including the US CDC, the Pasteur Institute and Africa’s CDC.  A look at the approaches, their effectiveness and what more is required for early warning and response.

The Health Workforce

Doctors, nurses and community healthcare workers are essential to support, prevent and to respond to communicable diseases. But burnout of existing staff and budget restrictions limiting new trainees are accelerating a “brain drain” of talent and exacerbating efforts to prepare cadres to handle surges in demand caused by new disease outbreaks.

Nutrition

There is a growing focus on the importance of healthy eating, food fortification and cultivation of the microbiome to build the body’s defences against communicable diseases. A look at the latest insights and obstacles.

Optional: Op-ed:  By a leading public health/ infectious disease expert.

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Sunny Sun +81 903207 7568, sunny.sun@ft.com

Oliver Higgs +44 (0)20 7775 6823, oliver.higgs@ft.com

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Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

FTfm Pensions

The Financial Times proposes to publish this FT Report on 30 September 2024

We plan to include the following features (please note that this list is provisional):

Around the world, pension systems are under unprecedented strain. Ageing populations and shrinking labour markets are forcing some governments to make unpopular decisions over pension age rises. Individual savers are also feeling the heat from soaring inflation which is eroding the real value of their retirement funds. Alongside these challenges, the climate crisis is asking questions of savers and where they allocate their investments. This series will examine the global retirement savings gap and what individuals and pension systems can do to address it. 

Pension Age

Nearly all countries around the world face the need to reform their pension systems, to ensure they remain sustainable. But pushing through unpopular reforms such as increases to the state pension age can be tough as shown by recent protests in France. How are governments around the world dealing with the challenges of making their pension systems more sustainable? How do individuals prepare for the prospect of working longer?

Case Study: Japan 

The Japanese are fortunate to have one of the longest life expectancies of any country in the world. But an ageing population is presenting big challenges for Japan’s public pension system, which is creaking under the strain of a super ageing society. How is Japan responding to the challenges of an ageing society, and what can the rest of the world learn from its approach? 

Inflation Proofing your Pension Pot

We spend our working lives accumulating pensions savings. A bout of inflation can diminish the real purchasing power of this nest-egg hugely. How to protect against this?

Most obviously are inflation-linked bonds. Coupon and principle payments increase with inflation, preserving the real value of your savings. But there’s at least one catch. Long-dated inflation-linked bonds carry a lot of interest rate risk: in other words, their market value can vary wildly with overall bond markets. So while buyers can lock in inflation-linked cash flows if they are willing to hold such bonds to term, their portfolio values can be hugely volatile on a mark-to-market basis. For example, in 2022 when inflation soared, inflation-linked bonds were among the worst performing assets. 

Short-dated inflation-linked bonds are more reliable inflation hedge, although are encumbered by reinvestment risk: today they offer inflation-linked real yields of around 0.25% per annum, but as they mature you’ll be at the mercy of whatever is offered by the market, which could be a deeply negative real return.

What’s the answer? Gold has provided a pretty good long-term hedge against inflation but is volatile, and its performance against inflation from year to year is essentially a coin-flip. For my part, I invest in a sensibly-constructed portfolio of stocks, bonds, and alternatives that I hope will deliver protection against inflation over the medium-term. So far so good, although measured from year to year as a hedging strategy the result is not without bumps. 

Gender Pensions Gap

Around 3m women in the UK are currently locked out of workplace pension saving. Even those who can save are reaching retirement with significantly lower set aside for later life than men on average. This article will look at what countries around the world are doing to address the gender pensions gap, and what actions individuals can take to boost retirement savings.

Self-employed Challenges

Private pension saving among the self-employed in the UK and around the world has been falling dramatically over the past decade as greater numbers of workers have opted for the gig economy, or to be independent contractors. Once outside the workplace, individuals typically won’t have access to a company scheme and employer pension contributions. How dire is the pension situation for the self employed and what can they do to get their retirement savings on track? 

Pensions go Green for Good

Pension savers are increasingly looking to invest their money in ways that help the climate, such as reducing their carbon footprint. What are the investment options open to those who want to invest for good, and how do you avoid greenwashing?

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Isaac Thomas on +44 (0) 7513 833 941, issac.thomas@ft.com

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

FT Business Education:  

Executive MBA

The Financial Times proposes to publish this Special Report on October 14, 2024.

We plan to include the following pieces of content (please note that this list is provisional):

Introduction

An analysis of the FT ranking of leading Executive MBA programmes around the world and trends in the sector.

The Executive MBA Ranking

The 2024 ranking of EMBAs, plus school profiles, key and methodology.

Changing Direction

In a shift from historical norms, many EMBA candidates want to switch careers rather than stick with their employer and are self-funding these expensive degrees. FT data from 2023 show a quarter want to change careers or employers. So how can an EMBA help? 

Executive Coaching

Coaching has become increasingly common on EMBA programmes, with some business schools offering it as a post-graduation perk. What does it offer participants? 

EMBA Under Pressure

Employers traditionally paid for EMBAs to retain and develop rising stars, but many are cutting back this such funding, while fewer than half of programmes reported growth in applications last year. Do EMBAs still offer companies a return on investment - and are alternatives, such as internal leadership programmes, a viable substitute? 

Getting on Course

How to find and choose the right EMBA, with advice from admissions tutors and participants. 

Late Entrants

Meeting mature participants looking to EMBAs for a late-career boost, as executives anticipate being in the workforce longer and want to upgrade their skills.

The Art of Business

A number of business schools have substantial and original art collections on their campuses. They are partly aesthetic and in some cases reflect alumni donations, but are also a form of investment, and a teaching tool around creativity and the art market.

Interview

An in-depth interview with a graduate about their studies and what they have meant for their career. 

Data:  FT ranking specialists explore trends in the EMBA, illustrated with charts.

Global Education Editor’s Letter

Looking at developments in business education and our coverage of it. 

Student Views

Students and graduates share their experiences of study and what came next.

Technology

An FT tech specialist explores developments that will affect business and our working lives. 

In Real LIfe

A graduate explains what it was like to study for an EMBA and what it has meant for their career, in their own words.  

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. 

Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

 Gemma Taylor +44 (0)20 7873 3698, gemma.taylor@ft.com

Matt Rodford +44 79212 50719, matthew.rodford@ft.com

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised that Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

Women in Business

The Financial Times proposes to publish this report on 23 October 2024

The Women in Business report looks at how organisations and individuals are rethinking workplace culture amid the current uncertainty to make it easier for women to succeed. This will cover the following themes:

Women NEDs 

The gender balance on FTSE boards has made vast improvements, but many women are NEDS. We ask female NEDs about the pros/cons of making this career move? And how far it has it helped them make career breakthroughs.  

Divorce Leave  

Early in 2023, 'divorce leave' made the news as a number of companies signed up to incorporate divorce/separation leave into HR policies. Are those policies being used, and what difference are they making to working women?

Workplace Trends

While many people worry about AI taking jobs or having too much influence on the hiring process, it can also help to land an exciting role. In this feature, recruiters and candidates share their picks on the software that can help bag an interview.

When Things go Wrong

Lessons from comedy. This feature will explore how female comedians cope in shows when the jokes do not land – how they manage their resilience, read the room and adapt their content or delivery to make sure their points land.

‘How do I …?’  

Answers to questions that women ask: this time ‘How do I join a next gen board?’. (Or set one up?) This can help young women develop their leadership skills. How can young women encourage employers to establish boards, and secure themselves a seat?

Profile: Interview with a woman who has made her mark. 

Column: The big issues affecting women in the workplace

Career Path/ Planning

‘How I got here' - looking at the career choices and milestones of someone who has reached a senior level.

Artificial Intelligence

“Will Artificial Intelligence be a help or a hindrance to women achieving greater representation in leadership?”

The winning essay in the FT annual Henley Business School essay contest 

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Andrea Frias-Andrade, 07980 160 644, andrea.frias-andrade@ft.com 

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

Investing in Argentina

The Financial Times proposes to publish this FT Report in 2024

We plan to include the following features (please note that this list is provisional):

Introduction: Is this Argentina’s Moment?

After years of economic turmoil, Argentina stands at a crossroads. The election of Javier Milei, a radical libertarian president promising drastic reforms has excited investors and raised spirits in the business community. The Milei phenomenon has aroused widespread global interest, with tech billionaires and hedge fund managers among his biggest fans. But can Milei deliver on his promises and overcome congressional resistance to deliver the big changes the country needs to return to growth and make the most of its huge opportunities? 

Finance Minister Interview

What are the government’s top priorities for economic reform and how does it plan to keep budgets balanced while restoring growth? Will the government dollarise the economy and when does it plan to lift exchange controls? How will it take privatisation forward? FT interview with former Wall Street trader and Economy Minister Luis Caputo (or failing him, deregulation minister Federico Sturzenegger). 

The Oil and Gas Boom Underway at Vaca Muerta

Fourteen years after the discovery of the world’s second-largest shale gas and fourth-largest shale oil at Vaca Muerta, the remote Patagonian field’s moment may finally be here. Drillers have been posting rapid production increases as gas pipeline infrastructure materialises. An ambitious LNG export plan, led by state energy firm YPF, has sparked enormous interest from investors amid a global surge in demand for the liquified fuel. We look at the most promising projects and the challenges still to overcome for Argentina to become a major oil and gas exporter.

Lithium and Copper make Argentina a Mining Investor Darling

Thanks to constitutional rules that leave control over natural resources in the hands of investment-hungry provinces, and to federal government enthusiasm to diversify the country’s exports, Argentina has developed the world’s largest lithium pipeline, with half a dozen projects set to come online and production to increase seven-fold by 2030. The country is also finally tapping its long-neglected copper reserves, which analysts say could be an even bigger industry than lithium, with one project under construction, seven more in development, and an ambitious goal to become a top-ten producer by 2030. 

Huge Hidden Wealth

While the government is perennially short of hard currency, Argentines are not. They hold an estimated $278bn outside of the formal system, in overseas accounts or in cash in safety deposit boxes or stuffed under mattresses. 

The undeclared dollars are the result of Argentina’s tight capital restrictions, widespread distrust of erratic tax policy, and the ever-depreciating peso—which has lost 97 per cent of its value against the dollar in the last five years alone. Milei’s government hopes to tap some of those dollars via a tax amnesty and other policies. This piece will look at how Argentines’ across the economic ladder hide and use their dollars, ask them what it would take to bring them in, and speak to government officials about how they plan to pursue them. 

Tourism Boom Stretches Infrastructure in Patagonia

Long a favourite with explorers and adventurers, the vast southern wilderness of Patagonia is now a big hit with luxury tourists. An influx of wealthy visitors means that $3000 a night lodges with guest chefs are springing up, along with a host of lesser accommodation. The boom is bringing wealth to the remote region but also putting pressure on precarious infrastructure in what was a pristine wilderness. Report from Los Glaciares National Park in Santa Cruz province and from Ushuaia, the world’s most southerly city. 

The New Boom in High-altitude Wine

The mainstay of the Argentine wine industry is the Malbec grape grown in the province of Mendoza. But a fresh boom is being powered by high-altitude wines from more exotic locations such as the northern province of Salta or southern Patagonia, which are bringing new grape varieties to global attention and catching the interest of connaisseurs and tourists alike. 

Can Food Exports Regain Competitiveness?

Argentina is the world’s third largest food exporter and its abundant stock of arable land means it could be much bigger still at a time when global food supplies are under pressure. New technology and stable government rules hold the key to unlocking the sector’s full potential. 

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Jonathan Florez   +1 (917) 551 5041, jonathan.florez@ft.com

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Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

Plastics and Chemicals

The Financial Times proposes to publish this FT Report on November 25, 2024

Plastics and chemicals suppliers, and the companies that use their products, face several significant challenges in making their businesses more future-proof and sustainable - and reducing the negative impacts they have on human and animal health. This special report will address 6 of them:

Environmental Impact and Waste Management

Plastics contribute significantly to environmental pollution, particularly in oceans where they harm marine life. The challenge is to develop effective waste management and recycling systems to reduce plastic waste and prevent it entering food chains. Manufacturers must innovate to create biodegradable or easily recyclable plastics, while users need to adopt and support sustainable consumption practices. We look at how waste is being dealt with in different countries.

Transitioning to Sustainable Production

The production of plastics and chemicals often involves the use of non-renewable resources, such as petroleum and natural gas. Transitioning to sustainable production methods, such as using bio-based feedstocks or incorporating circular economy principles, is essential. But this requires significant investment in new technologies and infrastructure. We ask how manufacturers and users are embracing sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprints.

Microplastics: The Health Hazards for Humans

On average, people now consume around 5 grammes of microplastics a week without knowing — ingesting it in food and drink and inhaling it from polluted air — according to academics at Rutgers University. And the risk is that these microplastics enter cells and interfere with cell nuclei, which raises concerns about potential DNA damage. Italian scientists have even found tiny plastic particles from various sources in human placentas collected from six women with normal pregnancies. Health experts agree that microplastic ingestion has to be prevented, but how can it be when so many industries depend on the material? Solutions range from regulatory bans, as in Europe, to the use of seaweed-based substitutes. Which will work? 

Oceans Full of Plastic

According to Unesco, more than one million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals - including sea lions, seals, and turtles - are killed by plastic pollution every year. Plastic can affect marine species in a variety of ways, from entanglement and injury to ingestion and toxic contamination. The major determining factor is the size of the plastic, which can adversely affect different species in different ways – and on different timescales. In one case in 2019, a whale died from gastric shock after ingesting 40kg of plastic bags. Without drastic action, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) projects that the amount of plastic produced yearly will triple by 2060. Prevention, monitoring, reducing marine litter, and spreading awareness are among the approaches being used to stop more material entering the ocean. But how much progress is being made?

Bioplastics - A Viable Alternative?

As recycling difficulties persist, demand for biodegradable plastic substitutes is increasing - and some businesses are turning to seaweed as an alternative. New York-based Loliware raised $6mn last year to make biodegradable straws and other alternatives for single-use plastics. London-based Notpla has partnered with food delivery company Just Eat Takeaway to make biodegradable packaging from seaweed. Other materials derived from corn or potatoes have also been tried in bioplastics. Sugar cane bioplastics made an impact in Brazil more than a decade ago. But these sources require more land and fresh water — two ingredients that are not a problem with seaweed.

The Fast Fashion Challenge

The fashion industry’s size and its chemical- and water-intensive manufacturing processes, together with its reliance on synthetic materials and non-renewable energy, mean its negative impact on the environment is immense. In some parts of the world, unwanted and discarded clothing items are overwhelming landfills and choking waterways. We ask what can be done to make the industry less chemical and synthetics reliant. 

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Nick Phillips on +44 (0)20 7873 4216, nick.phillips@ft.com

Christie Lee on +852 5969 1574, christie.lee@ft.com

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.

FTfm Responsible Investing

The Financial Times proposes to publish this FT Report on 02 December 2024

We plan to include the following features (please note that this list is provisional):

Navigating the Anti-ESG Backlash

A few years ago, a conservative backlash against the environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment agenda began gathering momentum in the US, when several states proposed legislation against asset managers who "boycott" the fossil fuel or firearms industry. Since then, regulators have become involved and the anti-ESG laws are being challenged in court. With concerns also being raised over greenwashing and misleading ESG definitions, asset managers are having to rethink their stance on this once popular investment theme. What does all this mean for responsible investors?

Cashing in on the Transatlantic Subsidy Race

Joe Biden's climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act has revolutionised the green investment landscape in the US, with vast subsidies and tax incentives for low-carbon energy. Under pressure for a response, the EU has responded with a generous package of its own. With elections this year in both those jurisdictions — and many others — the policy outlook is especially uncertain. As governments jostle to provide the most attractive destination for green investment, which sectors stand to benefit most, and how can investors reap the rewards?

Spotlight on Biodiversity

Nature and biodiversity long received little attention from the corporate and financial worlds, even as concerns about carbon emissions rose up the agenda. Now, the subject is receiving an unprecedented weight of attention, amid increasingly worrying signs of problems from species loss to water scarcity. A growing number of asset management groups are offering funds that promise to help protect the planet's natural ecosystems. How are they pursuing this goal - and can they make a difference?

Why Critical Minerals are Critical to Energy Policy 

One of the biggest challenges in energy transition is securing the critical minerals needed to power it. But a major report from the International Energy Agency has found that mineral supplies are worryingly concentrated. Over 70 per cent of the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. More than two-thirds of global rare earth metal extraction is in China, which also accounts for the vast bulk of processing of minerals including lithium, cobalt and copper. At the same time, miners are struggling to clean up their act and there has been little progress on the sustainability of critical mineral production. What needs to be done to improve supply? 

Waking up to Modern Slavery

Despite its powerful green credentials, the global solar industry is heavily reliant on the Chinese province of Xinjiang, where there have been serious and widespread allegations of forced labour. With 50mn people living in modern slavery according to the International Labour Organisation, such human rights violations may be present in supply chains across many other industries. Major new regulation in the EU will force companies to report much more extensively on this issue. How can investors navigate the risks around forced labour – and play a role in eliminating it?

Tackling the Data Shortfall

Fund managers pursuing ethical investment strategies have long complained of a chronic shortage of reliable data. A growing field of data providers have emerged to seek to fill that gap – but they vary widely in their quality and rigour, according to some observers. What approaches are major investors taking to access the best information, and what is the most innovative work being done to provide it?

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

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Isaac Thomas on +44 (0) 7513 833 941, isaac.thomas@ft.com

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Global Brands

The Financial Times proposes to publish this FT Report in 2025

Our special report will draw upon Kantar’s industry-renowned Global Brands data - and exclusive analysis, available only to the FT, to produce 8 articles, each with an accompanying mini-ranking or graphic.

These will be split into (provisionally):

3 articles on the fastest-growing brands in the fastest-growing markets: 

• India
• Latin America
• Africa

3 articles on the brand and sales dynamics within specific sectors, eg 

• Use of AI in non tech industries; 
• EV quotient in automotive brand value;
• Alcohol brands 'as a moat';
• or 
• A trend within the luxury sector 

2 newsworthy data-led stories, eg 

• Debunking the 'Go woke, go broke' argument, proving that inclusivity=sales
• Using data to predict return on investment on marketing spend. 

NB At this stage, data is still being anaylsed so the content is not final - we may amend some of it when we look closely at the delivered datasets.

Information

■ Recently published FT Special Reports can be viewed at www.ft.com/specialreports 

A full list of published reports can be viewed at http://www.ft.com/reports/library Forthcoming FT Special Reports and their synopsis can be downloaded via the 

Future Reports link on the www.ft.com/specialreports page. 

For website assistance please call + (0) 20 7775 6297.

This editorial synopsis must not be amended in any way by anyone other than the Editor of Special Reports. 

All submissions or suggestions for editorial features should be sent to reports@ft.com 

This is to ensure all suggestions can be assessed and to enable the editorial team to cope with the huge volume of approaches that would otherwise stop them from doing their work. Due to the volume of approaches the editorial team are unable to confirm receipt or respond to all enquiries. 

Advertisement and Sponsorship Information

For details of the advertising and sponsorship opportunities please contact:

Mark Magrane on +44 (0)7855 352 176, mark.magrane@ft.com

or your usual Financial Times representative.

Please note the advertising representatives cannot assist with editorial approaches or other editorial matters. Please be advised Financial Times advertisers and sponsors have no influence on editorial content.