Financing the transition is not only about investing in green
Investors need better frameworks and regulation for what a credible transition plan is like. In this way, the much-needed financing of the green transition can be made more widely available and more real-world impact can be created.
We need a broad transition to a sustainable, safe and just environment and society. But there is a gap between what we believe needs financing to evolve to a sustainable world, and what EU regulation focusses on.
– This concerns us, Niina Arkko, Ilmarinen's senior responsible investment specialist, and Hilde Veelaert, Chief Investment Officer of the Dutch management company Actiam (now Cardano), write.
The European securities market authority ESMA, for example, is planning guidelines for the sustainability names used by funds. The guidelines give very little attention to funds that invest in companies that are still transitioning to environmentally sustainable operations. It might even slow down investments in transitioning companies, because sustainability ratings are currently an important driver of capital flows, Arkko and Veelaert state.
They wrote an article on the subject (pdf).
Just transition requires investments in two types of companies
Just transition to a sustainable world requires investments in two types of companies: those that offer solutions and those that are still transitioning. This is how the real-world impact can be maximized, Arkko and Veelaert write.
This requires a lot of capital and activity from investors, for example through engagment processes or voting at general meetings, Arkko explains.
From an institutional investor's point of view, diversification is also important, and investment opportunities classified as sustainable are still limited.
Investing in companies transitioning also expands the investment universe. According to Arkko and Veelaert, better frameworks are needed for what counts as a credible transition plan, so that investors can more effectively direct much needed capital to transitioning companies and engage with them.
Arkko and Veelaert are members of a ESG working group of CFA institute. The group is formed by European members of CFA associations with expertise in ESG investing. The working group meets regularly and shares views related to EU legislation on sustainable finance and proposed European or national ESG guidelines.
Read more:
- Read Niina Arkko's and Hilde Veelaert's article
Financing the transition is not only about investing in green (pdf)
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Financing the transition is not only about investing in green
Investors need better frameworks and regulation for what a credible transition plan is like. In this way, the much-needed financing of the green transition can be made more widely available and more real-world impact can be created.
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