5 takeaways on ESG investing that address sponsor and participant questions: Natixis
Natixis study says while many are on the ESG bandwagon, not everybody is sure where it is going.
The momentum around socially responsible investments has been growing rapidly during the past several years. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing achieved record traction at the end of last year in terms of asset levels, capital flows and new product launches, according to the 2021 ESG Investor Insights Report by Natixis Investment Managers.
But while everybody seems to be on the ESG bandwagon, not everybody is sure where it is going, said the report. Natixis interviewed financial professionals, institutional investors and fund selectors between 2020 and 2021 to understand the motives around ESG investing and what measures are being used to determine ESG success.
The culmination of the study is five questions, and answers, about the current state of ESG.
Is ESG more than hype?
With the recent frenzy surrounding ESG investing, it’s fair to wonder if there is a bubble forming that could eventually burst. The study, however, reassured investors that ESG investing isn’t an overnight sensation. In fact, the origins of ESG investing date back nearly half a century to the environmental movement during the 1970s.
The motives behind more recent growth in ESG investing aren’t purely financial, said the report.
Many countries, including the United States, are considering or have adopted requirements around corporate attention to sustainability and environmental risk management, said the report. Furthermore, 71 percent of investors say they want their investments to make a positive social impact and 81 percent said they want their investments to match their personal values.
Bottom line, it’s possible that there has been a rush to capitalize on a trend, but the underlying factors driving growth seem likely to continue, said Natixis.
Is ESG about making money or making the world a better place?
Attitudes appear to be evolving about the ultimate goal of ESG investing, said the report.
When Natixis first surveyed the market about ESG in 2014, nearly half of respondents said ESG was more of a public-relations effort.
A year later, survey respondents largely indicated ESG was primarily a method to address policy requirements.
Today, more than half of respondents said they’ve implemented ESG to align investment strategies with organizational values, while just about one-third said ESG influences corporate behavior, a motivation that Natixis said could be both financial and non-financial.
Purely financial motivators, including enhancing downside protection and benefiting from new sources of diversification, ranked lower on the list of reasons for implementing ESG.
Do ESG methods match motives?
As interest in ESG has grown, so too have the various strategies around implementing it, said Natixis. The firm outlined four primary strategies used in ESG investing:
- Integration is the strategy most often used by institutions and fund selectors. This strategy takes into account ESG issues that can materially impact company performance with the ultimate goal of identifying risks and opportunities that may not be evident on the balance sheet.
- Negative Screening, a cornerstone of ESG predecessor Socially Responsible Investing, excludes companies or industries from a portfolio that are deemed unethical or harmful to society.
- Active Ownership, a method favored by about one-third of institutions and fund selectors, leverages the rights of ownership to influence non-financial corporate behavior, thereby leading theoretically to more ethical business practices.
- Impact Investing, which has attracted the interest of 42 percent of fund selectors, directs assets to support specific causes outlined by clients. This strategy can impact societal change by financing activities that otherwise may not be funded.
How is ESG performance measured?
Of all the challenges professionals face when it comes to ESG, measurement may be the biggest, said Natixis. Although there are signs it is becoming easier to benchmark ESG success, the jury is still out on whether the tools exist to measure performance.
Institutions and selectors both favor third-party ratings and awards to measure non-financial performance. However there are limited choices outside of a handful of ratings services. Both institutions and fund selectors also looked to issuer or company reports to gauge performance, but a lack of standardized reporting makes it difficult to compare one company with another, said the report.
Other tools institutions and selectors are using include information from non-government organizations, outsourced consultants, the news media, and regulatory filings. About 20 percent of both groups said it has not become easier to benchmark ESG.
Are ESG players on the same page?
While ESG is part of the conversation among institutions, fund selectors, individual investors and advisors, they may not be speaking the same language, concluded Natixis.
For example, individual investors surveyed in Natixis’ 2019 ESG study said their top priority for their advisor was to offer investments that matched their personal values. However, a year later, the study found less than one-third of financial advisors said their clients are asking for ESG.
Natixis speculated that demand for ESG may be drowned out by more familiar requests, such as retirement planning, financial planning and tax-efficient investments. “Getting a clearer understanding of client preferences may mean reading more between the lines,” said Natixis.
Kristen Beckman is a freelance writer based in Colorado. She previously was a writer and editor for ALM’s Retirement Advisor magazine and LifeHealthPro online channel. She also was a reporter for Business Insurance magazine covering workers compensation topics.
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