Prime
Programme for Responsible Investment and Measurable Engagement
A structured approach to align analysis, engagement and capital allocation. PRIME is designed to contribute to the development of a more coherent and disciplined European stewardship ecosystem. It aligns with the evolving regulatory landscape while remaining independent from any rating framework.
Why PRIME
Despite the growing importance of stewardship, current practices remain fragmented. Engagement is often insufficiently structured, weakly connected to investment decisions, and difficult to assess in terms of quality and impact.
Architecture of the fiduciary chain
The fiduciary chain operates within a structured European regulatory framework (CSRD, CSDDD, SFDR, Taxonomy, MiFID II, SRD II), complemented by voluntary initiatives such as NZAM, NZAO, the ILO, the OECD and the UN PRI.
Within this environment, collective investment decisions drive productive transformations — from respecting planetary boundaries to enabling the energy and digital transitions — ultimately supporting resilience and long-term value creation.
From analysis to decision
PRIME is designed as an end-to-end process. Insights generated through analysis inform engagement. Engagement, in turn, enhances the quality of investment and voting decisions. This creates a continuous feedback loop between companies and investors.
A coherent framework
PRIME connects three essential dimensions of stewardship.
Measuring the quality
PRIME does not aim to rate companies or investors. It focuses on assessing the quality of the engagement process itself.
Analysis
Identifying decision-relevant issues and assessing corporate strategies with analytical depth.
Engagement
Structuring a sustained and informed dialogue between investors and companies.
Allocation
Supporting capital allocation and voting decisions with greater discipline and clarity.
Thematic engagement programmes
PRIME is deployed through thematic programmes focusing on major transformations shaping European markets.
Boarding
Transition Plan Credibility
Assessing the robustness of corporate transition strategies.
Scheduled September 2026
Just Transition
Understanding workforce and social implications of ecological transformations.
Scheduled January 2027
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Understanding workforce and social implications of digital transformations.
Scheduled June 2027
One Sustainable Health
Exploring the business implications of the interdependencies between environmental, social and health systems.
Transition plan credibility
Our edge: ACT Initiative ®
We anchor our perspective in the reality of planetary boundaries: climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, resources protection and social cohesion are interconnected, and the window for credible action is closing fast. Acute IS helps investors and companies measure their transition plans against these limits, not just against short-term benchmarks. Through in house set of methodologies and our thematic engagements, we provide a framework to align financial capital with the transformations required to stay within a safe operating space for humanity. By linking stewardship with planetary boundaries, we give purpose and direction to shareholder influence — turning capital into an ally of change.
At the heart of our work lies the ACT initiative ® — Accelerating Climate Transition — designed and developed by Acute IS founders a decade ago during their tenure at ADEME.
Today, this approach has been used by 600+ companies to support the design of their transition plans as well as by leading responsible investors’ providers to assess the credibility of 2,000+ plans.
Recognized as one of the top global frameworks for deep dive analysis, the approach is based on 15+ sectoral methodologies – including finance – and has recently been extended beyond climate change to cover biodiversity challenges.
Analysis can be performed indifferently using ESRS or ISSB standards.
By adapting ACT methodologies to stewardship activities, Acute IS combines rigorous analysis with constructive dialogue, providing a common language for investors and companies facing urgent sustainability transitions. We anchor our approach in proven expertise, European leadership, and a pragmatic commitment to accelerate the transitions that matter most.