ESG Insight Brief
EFRAG Gives Nod to EU Corporate Sustainable Reporting Standards
ESG reporting standards for European companies have been approved. The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) gave its backing to the final version of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which will prescribe how companies must disclose their ESG performance.
Investors Fear Poor Reporting Undermines Investment, Trust in ESG
Investors are concerned that corporations’ ESG disclosures aren’t detailed enough. A survey by EY found that about three-quarters of investors didn’t believe the companies in which they invested gave sufficient data-driven insights on which to make decisions. This is undermining the smooth running of capital markets and eroding trust in ESG, the survey stated.
European Parliament Adopts CSRD
The European Union’s parliament has endorsed the creation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the regulation that’s intended to oblige larger non-financial companies to disclose their ESG performance. The parliament overwhelmingly approved the formation of the framework, which is to be implemented by the end of next year.
Capital.com to Take Refinitiv ESG Data and Sentiment Analyses
Refinitiv will supply ESG data top clients of European investment trading platform Capital.com. The data provider, part of the London Stock Exchange Group, will provide real-time data as well as AI-generated sentiment analysis.
CDP Adopts ISSB-Created Reporting Template
CDP will integrate into its disclosures platform a newly created template that’s likely to form the basis of a global reporting standard for climate-related performance. CDP will use the IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures that’s being drawn up by the International Sustainable Standards Board. The board was created at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, last year to unify ESG reporting frameworks.
ESG Disclosure Blueprint for Private, Alternative Investors Unveiled
A template for companies to submit their ESG disclosures to private and alternative investors has been launched. The ESG Integrated Disclosure Project (ESG IDP) template aims to promote “greater harmonisation and consistency of disclosure of key ESG indicators by borrowers in private credit and syndicated loan transactions”.
Start-up Util Raises £5m for its Environmental Impact Data Service
Util has closed a £5 million funding round that saw the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and the Chicago Board Options Exchange buy stakes in the London-based sustainability data provider. Util counts Danske Bank Asset Management and Degroof Petercam Asset Management among the customers to whom it supplies environmental impact data on 50,000 companies.
Rimes Offers Clients DEI Data from Denominator
Diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) metrics specialist Denominator is to provide data and scores to financial institution clients of ESG data management company Rimes Technologies. Rimes, which won two gongs in this year’s A-Team Innovation Awards, described the new partnership as a “great addition to our data universe”. Denominator’s metrics are based on more than 650 DEI variables applied to more than 1.5 million private and public companies.
FI Feedback Sought in Creation of GFANZ Corporate Climate Data Hub
Financial institutions and auditing companies have been invited to offer their expertise and feedback on the creation of a global corporate climate performance database backed by the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ). The One Planet Data Hub would be handed over to the United Nations once it is complete, and a prototype service is expected to be unveiled next year. Regulators and standards setters are already involved in the project, as are data providers including Moody’s and S&P.
Bloomberg Expands Sustainable Fixed Income Index Offering
Bloomberg has added new sustainable bond indices to its suite of ESG-focused products. The Bloomberg Global Aggregate Green, Social, Sustainability Bond Indices will be built on the financial data giant’s Bloomberg Global Aggregate Index, the Bloomberg Sustainable Finance Group’s green, social and sustainability bond indicators, and metrics aligned to the International Capital Market Association Green Bond, Social Bond and Sustainability Bond Principles and Guidelines.