Global Footprint Network first began encouraging greater environmental risk integration into bond credit analysis five years ago. Since then, a growing number of fixed income investors are following suit. We are particularly delighted by the recent announcement PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment), an influential investor group who is calling on credit rating agencies to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into their credit analysis more systematically and transparently.
Some of the world’s major rating agencies last June confirmed their willingness to participate in a project to make this vision a reality. Now the PRI is calling on fixed-income investors to sign a Statement on ESG in Credit Ratings before its official launch on Friday, May 6, to be at forefront of this call to action.
As of April 15, 14 investors already have signed on, including MN, an asset owner in the Netherlands and member of our Carbon Disclosure Working Group.
The initial success of this campaign underscores the widespread movement towards integrating environmental risk into investment decisions. A growing number of investors are coming around to realizing what our research has shown: Resource constraints and climate change are material risks that can affect national economies and credit worthiness not only long term but in the short- and medium-term as well.
The PRI makes a similar point in its press release, noting that integrating ESG into credit analysis provides more granular insight into issuer creditworthiness. The PRI further points out that ESG issues such as natural resource management affect government’s tax revenue, trade balance and foreign investment.
Credit rating agencies are a critical part of the world’s US $100 trillion debt capital markets. But currently they are not transparent in how they consider ESG factors. Indeed, 78% of 99 investors surveyed by the PRI believed ESG should be more explicit in ratings.
This new PRI initiative will go a long way toward increasing the systematic and transparent integration of ESG factors into credit ratings. We applaud the PRI for taking this bold, important step, and urge investors and credit rating agencies to endorse it.
