The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) are a set of six principles aimed at guiding investors in incorporating responsible investment practices into their decision-making processes. These principles were developed by a group of investors under the leadership of the UN Secretary-General in 2005. Today, nearly 4,000 signatories, representing over $120 trillion in assets under management, have committed to upholding these principles.

The PRI encourages investors to address Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors in their investment policies and to collaborate in promoting sustainability goals. Nuclear weapons are a humanitarian issue, a public health issue, an environmental issue, a social justice issue, a human rights issue, a financial resources issue, a technology governance issue, a racism and colonialism issue, and more. Signatories and other investors should consider the norms against nuclear weapons, the legal obligations for disarmament outlined in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the comprehensive prohibitions set by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as key ESG factors.

The TPNW recognises nuclear weapons as weapons of indiscriminate mass destruction and comprehensively prohibits their development, possession, and use. The treaty places nuclear weapons on par with other illegal and controversial weapons including chemical weapons, biological weapons, landmines and cluster munitions.

PRI signatories should consider the nuclear weapons industry when looking at issues including human rights, environmental protection (and remediation of affected environments), and how to address concerns with proximity to harm and proximity to wrongdoing including through existing active ownership activities. If engagement with the nuclear weapons industry fails to achieve results within a specific timeframe, the industry should be excluded from investments of PRI signatories.