ESG Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Sustainable Value Investors

ESG, Green bond / 03.08.2020

The EU TAXONOMY for SUSTAINABLE FINANCE

According to the OECD, globally, EUR 6.35 trillion a year will be required to meet the Paris Agreement goals by 2030. The EU Taxonomy will help investors and companies in choosing green opportunities that are in line with a low carbon economy and resource-efficient economy. Finance enables transformative improvements in industries all over Europe and globally. According to the...

ESG, Oil and Gas, Renewables / 01.08.2020

Big oil: demand shocks and investors’ led change

The recent oil price shock has deeply affected corporations such as Chevron and Exxon Mobil, but also the long-term trend in oil demand seems to pose risks. As the sector is evolving, activist investors are becoming increasingly vocal with respect to environmental matters and are leading change in...

Corporate Governance, ESG, Financial Institutions / 01.08.2020

US Administration deterrence against ESG strategies

Despite the worldwide increase in ESG and sustainable investments, in the USA we are assisting to a great deterrence against ESG policies reviving the old objection they provide low returns, which has not been supported by the facts. In the last decade, a fundamental shift towards sustainable...

Biodiversity, ESG / 28.07.2020

Why we need global Biodiversity Finance

Biodiversity depletion is an environmental disaster deteriorating faster than climate change. Environmental risks will adversely affect the macroeconomic performance of various sectors and financial markets. Moving sustainable finance into mainstream practices is key. Evidence shows that nature-based solutions can be readily turned into cash flows and in the...

Coronavirus, Economics, ESG, Green bond, Impact investing / 15.07.2020

Social impact bonds have outpaced green bonds during Covid-19 pandemic

The issuance of social bonds has outpaced that of green bonds this year, reflecting a diversification in sustainability investments and increasing attention by investors on social matters and social risks in light of the challenges brought by COVID19. Covid-19 has brought investors increasing attention on social matters...

ESG / 14.07.2020

Trump administration sets the clock back on ESG integration in pension investments

The US Department of Labor has issued a new rule proposal that requires pension funds fiduciaries to prove that by implementing ESG-oriented investments they are not sacrificing financial returns to social good, regardless of investors' preferences. The PRI, Morningstar and Nuveen have already expressed their opposition to...

ESG / 17.05.2020

Millennials and women key drivers of ESG investments widening the gap between winners and losers

The universe of investment is changing. Millennials are twice as likely to invest in sustainable investment products as the rest of the investors. If responsible investments are considered a niche choice for the majority of the investors, they have become the norm for women and...

Climate change, Deforestation, ESG / 07.05.2020

Why investors are more than ever key players in forest preservation

The 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment informs us about a consistently declining rate of deforestation, to be explained by diminishing deforestation coupled with natural forests expansion and afforestation. The African continent is however emerging as a key hotspot, and important ecosystems, such as the Congo Basin, are...

ESG Rating / 21.04.2020

Morningstar takes 100% control of Sustainalytics in €170m total deal

As of April 21, 2020, Morningstar, leading provider of independent investment research with headquarters in Chicago, announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Sustainalytics, ESG Ratings provider with headquarters in Amsterdam. Morningstar currently owns an approximate 40% ownership stake in Sustainalytics, first acquired in...

Corporate Governance, ESG / 26.02.2020

The EU and the US are rethinking their non-financial disclosure requirements and announcing a series of new ESG-related interventions

As announced under the bold European Green Deal, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on the review of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD). The NFRD sets out the rules for disclosing non-financial information by large companies as required by the Directive 2014/95/EU. The...

ESG Rating / 24.02.2020

Bain & Co buys a minority stake in EcoVadis, leader in Supply Chain Sustainability Ratings

As of February 24, 2020 Bain & Company (Bain & Co) announced it has acquired a minority stake in EcoVadis. Bain & Co will integrate EcoVadis’ sustainability ratings into its approaches to corporate strategy, supply chain and procurement. They will also seek to develop a...

Climate change, Economics, ESG / 15.01.2020

EU Green Deal: €1 trillion investment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050

"The transformation ahead of us is unprecedented," said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, announcing the investment plan. The European Green Deal Investment Plan will mobilise EU funding and create an enabling framework to facilitate and stimulate the public and private investments needed for the...

ESG Rating / 09.01.2020

EcoVadis secures c.$200m investment from CVC Growth Partners

As of January 9, 2020 Private Equity CVC announced it is going to acquire a participation in EcoVadis through a c. US$200m investment from its CVC Growth Partners II Investment Fund. EcoVadis is a French provider of corporate social responsibility (CSR) ratings and scorecards. For further information,...

Corporate Governance, ESG Academic Research / 08.01.2020

Proxy adviser’s downgrades cost companies 1% of market value

Evidence demonstrates that investors' behaviours change when the largest proxy advisory firm downgrades public companies' rating on governance ground. Professor Paul M. Guest and PhD student Marco Nerino of King's Business School at King's College London empirically demonstrate that Institutional Shareholder Services' (ISS) announcement of corporate...