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OCTOBER 20, 2021

About half of investors globally say lack of robust data biggest barrier to ESG adoption

  • Overcoming lack of consistency in ESG scores is a challenge when incorporating ESG data, ratings and research into the investment decision-making process
  • Accessing information and data is a stumbling block when implementing ESG investments
     

London, October 20, 2021: About half of institutional and wholesale investors globally say that a lack of robust data is holding back their organisations’ further adoption of ESG, according to a new global study by Capital Group, one of the largest and most experienced investment companies in the world, with assets under management of £1.9 trillion.

Capital Group's ESG Global Study 2021 surveyed 1,040 global institutional and wholesale investors, including pension funds, family offices and insurance companies, as well as fund of funds, retail/private banks and financial advisors, located across 16 different countries. The study seeks to identify the key drivers behind how these professional investors are integrating ESG into their operating models and where the challenges lie.

The global study found three-quarters (75%) of those surveyed use active investment decisions to ensure ESG factors are integrated into their funds and two-thirds of global investors (67%) said integration is the preferred ESG implementation strategy. Thinking about how asset managers can most effectively engage investee companies on ESG, nearly half of those surveyed pointed to exercising voting rights and monitoring and reporting to assess outcomes (both 45%) as key engagement tools. Slightly more (46%) cited the importance of having regular meetings with senior executives at investee companies.

More than half of respondents globally (53%) said lack of consistency in ESG scores from ratings firms is a stumbling block when incorporating research data into their investment decision-making process. More than a quarter (27%) ranked difficulties accessing the information they need as the leading challenge they face.

Jessica Ground, Capital Group’s Global Head of ESG, explains: “ESG is an increasing area of focus for institutional and wholesale investors globally. While investors appreciate the importance of ESG integration – and qualitative analysis and engagement by active fund managers – they also report that the lack of robust and consistent data is the main challenge when investing in ESG. It’s understandable that as ESG becomes more important to these investors, the desire to be rigorous in their assessment of ESG grows.”

When asked what would enhance their organisations’ focus on sustainable investing, nearly half of investors (49%) highlighted the need for greater transparency and consistency in fund reporting frameworks. Looking at how these challenges can be overcome, about four in 10 investors globally (43%) said consistent reporting is the top driver for better ESG analysis and implementation. This is closely followed by greater cross-industry analysis of ESG factors in portfolios, and automated analysis tools such as artificial intelligence, which would be welcomed by more than a third of investors (37% and 34%, respectively).

Capital Group’s ESG Global Study 2021 gathered the views of 1,040 global investors on ESG investing. The independent study was conducted by CoreData Research during June 2021.

The sample includes 520 global institutional investors (pension funds, family offices, insurance companies,
SWFs, endowments and foundations) and 520 global wholesale investors (funds of funds, DFMs, private
banks, wirehouse broker/ dealers, RIAs, independent advisory, investment division of insurance).

These investors are located in Europe (52%), APAC – excluding China (29%) and North America (19%).

The sample also includes ESG users/adopters (84%) and ESG Non-users/non-adopters (16%)

Data as at 30 June 2021. Source: Capital Group

About Capital Group

Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2021, Capital Group is one of the oldest and largest asset management companies in the world, managing multi-asset, equity, and fixed income investment strategies for different types of investors. Since 1931, Capital Group has been singularly focused on delivering superior, consistent results for long-term investors using high-conviction portfolios, rigorous research, and individual accountability. Today Capital Group works with financial intermediaries and institutions to manage £1.9 trillion in long-term assets for investors around the world. Capital Group has an integrated global research network of more than 400 investment professionals and its portfolio managers have an average of ­26 years of investment experience.

Capital Group manages equity assets through three investment groups. These groups make investment and proxy voting decisions independently. Fixed income investment professionals provide fixed income research and investment management across the Capital organization; however, for securities with equity characteristics, they act solely on behalf of one of the three equity investment groups.

This material is a financial promotion

This communication is issued by Capital International Limited (authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority), a subsidiary of the Capital Group Companies, Inc. (Capital Group). While Capital Group uses reasonable efforts to obtain information from third-party sources which it believes to be reliable, Capital Group makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the information. This communication is not intended to be comprehensive or to provide investment, tax or other advice. © 2021 Capital Group. All rights reserved.

 

 


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