ESG Risk Ratings vs ESG Impact Ratings

Posted 2024-10-15 10:24:18

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With the emergence of regulations such as the EU Taxonomy, CSRD, and Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), the concept of impact materiality has proliferated in the market, marking an increased scrutiny on the comprehensiveness of ESG risk ratings. In this context, there has been increased interest in impact ratings leading investors to question, what really is the difference between ESG risk and ESG impact ratings?

Overview of Risk vs Impact

ESG risk ratings primarily assess how well a company manages its exposure to ESG-related risks that could potentially affect its financial performance. These ratings focus on the materiality of ESG factors to the specific industry and company, evaluating how effectively the organization mitigates these risks.

In contrast, ESG impact ratings measure the actual effect a company’s operations have on environmental and social outcomes, regardless of the financial implications for the company itself. These ratings attempt to quantify a company’s positive or negative contributions to issues such as climate change, biodiversity, human rights, or community development.

In terms used by global sustainability regulations, ESG risk ratings focus on financial materiality while impact ratings focus on impact materiality.

Methodology of Risk Ratings vs Impact Ratings

The methodology of risk ratings and impact ratings also vary significantly, with risk ratings often collecting data from publicly available disclosures, while impact ratings focus primarily on uncovering the operational impact of companies across the value chain. In the table below we compare the scope and methodology of conventional risk ratings to Inrate’s impact ratings.

Implications for Investors

The distinction between ESG risk ratings and ESG impact ratings has significant implications for investors. Impact ratings, while focused on externalities, extensively uncover reputational and regulatory risks for companies in the current landscape. The shortening time frame within which these risk manifest into factors causing value erosion has put impact at the forefront of the minds of even the sceptics.

Engagement and Stewardship Opportunities

Understanding both risk and impact ratings can inform investor engagement strategies. Investors can use this information to identify areas where companies can improve their ESG performance and engage with management to encourage positive changes.

For active investors, these ratings can guide proxy voting decisions and help prioritize which ESG issues to focus on in shareholder resolutions.

Portfolio Construction and Diversification

Investors can use insights from both risk and impact ratings to construct more balanced and diversified sustainable portfolios. This might involve selecting companies with strong risk management practices as a core holding, while allocating a portion of the portfolio to high-impact companies in emerging sustainable industries. A key factor in successfully integrating insights from different sources is ensuring that data providers offer full transparency, allowing data to be homogenized for method and context.