SIRI Legacy Archive and Symposium

The SIRI Legacy Archive will be established to document and share the history of the development of the fields of corporate responsibility and sustainable investment. To be housed at Low Library at Columbia University, the archive will serve as a global repository documenting the evolution of sustainable investment and business practices. It will honor the field’s early pioneers, safeguard institutional memory, and serve as a lasting resource for research, education, and future leadership. 

The SIRI Legacy Archive will be the first of its kind to integrate both digital collections and primary documents gathered from individuals and institutions worldwide that have contributed to the development of sustainable investing and business practices over the past five decades. These contributors include pioneer investors, research firms, advocacy groups, trade associations, global initiatives, academic scholars, and multi-stakeholder networks. 

In addition to collecting primary sources, the archive will catalogue and make publicly accessible a wide range of materials—including papers, academic research, audio-visual content, and records of public discourse—thereby creating a consolidated hub for research and engagement. The project will also conduct interviews with key actors to build a comprehensive oral history of sustainable investing in support of future scholarship. 

The SIRI Legacy Archive will host scholars and foster research and practitioner engagement on the nature and potential of sustainable investment and business practices. Drawing on the field’s complex history, it will catalyze ongoing conversations about its trajectory and future direction. The archive will provide public access to its collections; curate key documents, themes, and historical insights through online publications; convene researchers and practitioners to explore critical issues; and support visiting scholars interested in engaging with the archive and contributing to SIRI’s academic work over extended periods. 

Overall, the archive will serve as an active and enduring resource for research and teaching at Columbia University and across a global network of academics and practitioners engaged in the study and advancement of the field.

Symposium on Corporate Responsibility & Responsible Investment: Past, Present, and Future

As part of this work, SIRI, in collaboration with High Meadows Institute, is convening an invite-only symposium at Columbia University that will bring together practitioners and scholars in sustainable investment and business practices to share lessons learned and perspectives on the future.