13 January 2026
PRESS RELEASE:
Quilter Cheviot: The key themes driving the sustainable recovery in 2026
Following a tough period of performance for sustainable investment, there is growing belief that 2026 could see a turnaround in fortunes, according to the managers of the Quilter Cheviot Sustainable Opportunities funds.
As 2026 approaches, investors face a landscape shaped by structural shifts, evolving regulation, and persistent macroeconomic uncertainty. Global equity markets are expected to deliver moderate gains, supported by technological innovation, fiscal stimulus, and selective regional opportunities.
However, Claudia Quiroz, lead manager of the funds, argues that these themes are likely to benefit sustainable investors, despite concerns around elevated valuations and geopolitical uncertainty.
“2025 was undoubtedly a difficult year for sustainable investment but the shoots of recovery are starting to take shape, making 2026 a year for cautious optimism,” she said. “While macroeconomic uncertainty persists, opportunities abound for investors who combine resilience with forward-looking themes.
“We are seeing those sustainable themes, such as energy transition and efficiency, be thrust back to the centre stage as the likes of artificial intelligence booms. We are seeing companies in the industrials, utilities, and infrastructure sectors emerging as beneficiaries of this digital transformation and as such growth is diversified beyond the Magnificent Seven.
“As such, sustainability gives us a repeatable and robust framework for long-term value creation, by aligning the portfolios with those structural growth drivers.
However, we are also mindful of the potential for markets to be disappointed and as such maintain exposure to defensive sectors such as insurance and utilities, offering predictable cash flows and resilience against macro shocks.
Meanwhile, fund manager Harry Gibbon has identified three key themes for sustainable investment and why these could help drive positive performance in the next 12 months:
1. Energy transition
“The global push for energy independence and carbon neutrality continues to accelerate. Renewable energy grids, battery storage, and green hydrogen are central to this transformation. Despite President Trump’s negative stance to renewables, and a more general apathy taking hold globally, words and actions do not necessarily align. Policy incentives and technological advances are driving record capacity additions in solar and wind, and this I benefitting companies such as EDPR, who plans to deploy €7.5 billion between 2026 and 2028, aiming to double renewable capacity by 2030 through offshore wind expansion.”
2. Resource efficiency
“Companies enabling energy optimisation and emissions reduction are seeing strong demand, particularly as energy requirements rocket with the growth of AI. Emerson Electric is one company standing to benefit with its energy management systems and control software playing a critical role in integrating renewables and improving efficiency. Meanwhile, despite being the critical player in the AI story, Nvidia is also innovating in this space, where its GPUs are 40 times more energy efficient than traditional servers.”
3. Growth with social inclusion
“Demographic trends are reshaping global demand. By 2050, one in six people worldwide will be aged 65 or older, compared to one in ten today. This shift creates opportunities in healthcare innovation and financial inclusion. Despite progress, 1.3 billion adults globally lack access to basic financial services, disproportionately affecting women and low-income households. We invest in financial institutions expanding access to credit and insurance, such as Allianz, for underserved populations, leveraging fintech solutions to promote inclusion.”
