| Content Table |
| How ESG Investing Works? |
| What are the Criterias for ESG? |
| What are the Advantages of ESG? |
| What are the Disadvantages of ESG? |
ESG stands for social responsibility principles that can be summarized as environment, social, and governance criteria. ESG is used to assess companies' environmental, social, and managerial impact.
The criteria are evaluated by investors to assess companies' social responsibility performance and make investment decisions. For example, it is important for investors that a company meets environmental responsibility criteria because it provides information about its future environmental obligations and costs. Likewise, it is essential for investors that a company meets the social responsibility criteria because it indicates whether the company's business practices are ethical and whether the rights of employees and society are protected.
Governance criteria are used to evaluate a company's management practices and its board members' identity. This is important for investors to assess the future performance of the company and the effectiveness of management's decisions.
How ESG Investing Works?
ESG investing is an investment strategy that focuses on evaluating a company's performance in regard to environmental, social, and governance factors. The goal of ESG investing is to achieve financial return while promoting a positive impact on society and the environment.
The process typically begins with identifying companies with strong ESG performance. This is done by analyzing a company's environmental impact, labor practices, community engagement, and management practices, among other factors. This information is collected from various sources, such as company reports, independent research, and public data.
Once companies have been identified as having strong ESG performance, investors can decide to invest in those companies. ESG investors may also engage with companies to encourage them to improve their ESG performance. It's worth noting that companies with good ESG performance may have better long-term financial performance and lower risk as they are more resilient to environmental and social challenges. Additionally, ESG investing can also align with personal values and beliefs.
ESG investors are also playing a more significant role in the investment choices of large institutional investors such as public pension funds. According to an industry report by US SIF Foundation, assets chosen according to ESG principles reached $17.1 trillion in 2020, an increase from $12 trillion two years prior. Furthermore, ESG-specific mutual funds and ETFs reached a record $400 billion in assets under management (AUM) in 2021, a 33% increase from the previous year. This trend is expected to continue to grow rapidly in the coming years.
What Are The Criterias For ESG?
As the popularity of ESG investing continues to grow, more and more companies are beginning to take notice and prioritize these factors in their business operations. This is because they recognize the importance of being evaluated positively based on ESG criteria for the sake of attracting investment from ESG-oriented funds. Each aspect of ESG, such as environmental impact, social responsibility, and governance, plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable and ethical investments. As a result, companies are making a conscious effort to improve their performance in these areas to appeal to a growing number of ESG-minded investors.
1. Environmental
Environmental factors are a crucial aspect of ESG investment. They evaluate an organization's relationships with internal and external stakeholders and their impact on society. These factors include the environment, climate change, energy consumption and use, and its overall impact.
To evaluate a company's environmental performance, investors may consider various factors such as Air and water quality, biodiversity, deforestation, energy performance, carbon footprint, natural resource depletion, waste management, and pollution.
2. Social
Social factors are another important aspect of ESG investing. They are an instrument for evaluating how an organization treats people and their impact on society. These factors include Community relations, customer satisfaction, data protection, and privacy policies and efforts, efforts to fund projects or institutions that help poor and underserved communities globally, employee diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), employee engagement and relations, health and safety, human rights, including child labor and slavery, labor standards.
What is Socially Responsible Investing (SRI)?
SRI is an investment strategy considering financial return and social and environmental impact. The goal of SRI is to create a positive impact on society and the environment while also achieving a financial return on investment. SRI investors typically consider various ESG factors when making investment decisions. These factors can include a company's environmental impact, labor practices, community engagement, and management practices, among other things. SRI investors may also engage with companies to encourage them to improve their ESG performance.
3. Governance
Corporate governance examines how a company manages and oversees itself, focusing on internal systems and controls to ensure compliance. It encompasses transparency, industry best practices, organizational management, and growth initiatives. Key aspects of governance include:
- Company leadership
- Board composition (including diversity and structure)
- Measures against corruption and bribery
- Political lobbying and donations
- Executive compensation and policies
- Tax strategy (including the structure of audit committees, internal controls, and regulatory policies)
Additionally, whistleblower programs also play a role in corporate governance.
What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?
CSR is a term used to describe the voluntary actions that companies take to address the social and environmental impacts of their operations. CSR is a way for companies to take responsibility for their impact on society and the environment and to create value for stakeholders beyond just shareholders. It is a commitment to doing business in a responsible and sustainable way by taking into account the economic, social, and environmental impact of their activities.
What are the Advantages of ESG?
Incorporating ESG considerations into a company's operations and strategy can bring significant benefits such as:
- Improved financial performance
- Risk management and mitigation of negative impacts on the environment and society
- The attraction of responsible investors
- Enhanced reputation and stronger relationships with customers, employees, and other stakeholders
- Compliance with regulations and industry standards.
What are the Disadvantages of ESG?
There are also some potential disadvantages to incorporating ESG considerations into a company's operations and strategy. These include:
- High costs and time-consuming to implement and maintain ESG initiatives
- Difficulty in measuring and communicating the impact of ESG initiatives
- Risk of being perceived as "greenwashing" if not a genuine commitment
- Distraction from other important considerations, such as profitability and growth
- Constraints on growth opportunities.
Companies should weigh these potential disadvantages carefully when approaching ESG considerations.
The bottom line is that ESG investing includes environmental, social, and governance considerations in investment decisions. By investing in companies that prioritize ESG principles, investors can align their values with their investments while enjoying financial returns and contributing to a more sustainable future. As ESG considerations are becoming increasingly important to investors, companies, and regulators, it is worth considering if ESG investing aligns with your values and goals and exploring the various ESG rating systems and mutual funds available to help build a sustainable portfolio.
