In recent years, Environmental, Social, and Governance investing (referred to as ESG) has emerged as a prominent strategy, attracting attention from both individual investors, financial advisors, and institutional funds. ESG investing involves considering a company’s environmental, social, and corporate governance factors alongside traditional financial metrics when making investment decisions. While this increasingly popular approach may align with values such as sustainability and corporate responsibility, some investors wonder whether it limits opportunities in a portfolio.
At HighPoint Advisors, LLC, we help with investment planning along with a wide range of financial services to clients in central New York, Syracuse, and well beyond. In this article, we discuss ESG investing and how it works.
What Is ESG Investing?
As the momentum behind ESG investing continues to grow, it’s essential for investors to understand its nuances and implications for portfolio construction. ESG investing integrates non-financial factors into the investment analysis process to aid in identifying risks and opportunities. Here are some details on how it works:
- Environmental Factors: Companies are evaluated based on their impact on the environment, including their carbon footprint, energy efficiency, and resource usage. Examples of some issues that may be in focus could be waste management, addressing climate change, or water scarcity.
- Social Factors: This aspect assesses a company’s relationships with its employees, customers, suppliers, communities, or other stakeholders. It includes issues such as diversity and inclusion policies, labor practices, privacy, and community engagement.
- Governance Factors: Corporate governance examines the quality of a company’s leadership, board structure, transparency, and adherence to ethical standards such as fair compensation and hiring practices. It ensures that companies are managed in a responsible and accountable manner.
By incorporating ESG criteria, investors aim to support companies with sustainable business practices while potentially mitigating risks associated with environmental disasters, social controversies, or governance failures.
There have been some interesting examples of how some ESG investment managers avoided underperformance by avoiding companies that were not acting as good corporate stewards. Without naming names, readers may remember in recent years an emissions scandal involving European car makers, or nasty privacy issues that came to light with U.S. technology companies. ESG managers may not have been invested in those companies at the time because they did not meet the manager’s ESG criteria, thus avoiding portfolio losses.
Is ESG Investing a Drag on My Portfolio?
One concern surrounding ESG investing is whether it restricts the universe of investment opportunities, potentially leading to lower returns. Critics argue that by excluding certain industries or companies deemed non-compliant with ESG standards, investors may miss out on profitable opportunities. A well-publicized example of this criticism is that in times of high energy prices, ESG portfolios may tend to underperform due to fossil fuel companies not passing the ESG screening test, and thus not being included in portfolios.
However, on the other hand, proponents of ESG investing argue that it does not necessarily limit opportunities but rather redirects capital toward companies with sustainable practices and long-term growth prospects. Moreover, integrating ESG factors can uncover investment opportunities in sectors or companies poised for growth due to evolving societal preferences and regulatory changes. Some areas where opportunities could be found are in industries facing financial regulation, artificial intelligence expansion and regulation, or increasing climate initiatives.
It’s essential to recognize that ESG integration is not about excluding entire industries but rather engaging with companies to improve their ESG performance over time. This engagement approach can lead to positive changes within companies, enhancing their long-term sustainability and financial performance. It may also lead to more new investor money inflows that serve to further support industries.
Here is an example. Some investors may be alarmed if they discover that their ESG fund has a traditional energy company in it and wonder how that could have happened. Perhaps the manager bought those shares because they are supportive of management’s goals of transitioning to clean or renewable energy products in the near future. Or maybe that company has just changed its top executive to someone aligned with climate change risk.
Who Is Most Suitable for ESG Investing?
ESG investing is appropriate for investors who prioritize not only financial returns but also environmental and social impact. These are some types of investors who may find ESG investing appealing:
- Values-Based Investors: Individuals who want their investments to align with their values and beliefs, such as supporting renewable energy or promoting social justice or gender pay equality.
- Long-Term Investors: Those with a focus on long-term wealth preservation and sustainable growth, recognizing the importance of considering non-financial factors in investment decisions. ESG investing is another form of diversification.
- Institutional Investors: Pension funds, endowments, and foundations increasingly integrate ESG considerations into their investment strategies to fulfill their fiduciary duty and manage risk.
- Millennials and Gen Z Investors: Younger generations are more likely to prioritize environmental and social impact in their investment decisions, driving the demand for ESG investment products. Younger investors have a much longer time horizon to worry about and have expressed a desire to limit certain risks that ESG investing helps to identify.
ESG Investing Is Here to Stay – Maybe It’s for You, Maybe It’s Not
ESG investing offers investors the opportunity to align their financial goals with their values while potentially mitigating certain risks. While critics may argue that it limits portfolio opportunities, proponents highlight its potential to drive positive change and uncover sustainable investment opportunities. There’s no guarantee that ESG investing will lead to finding all the most profitable investments, nor will it avoid all risks in a portfolio. Ultimately, the suitability of ESG investing depends on an investor’s preferences, values, and investment objectives. It’s not meant to be for everyone, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all type approach, but it certainly is a useful tool for those investors looking for a way to adjust their portfolio to meet specific needs.
At HighPoint Advisors, LLC, we incorporate ESG investing into client allocations to as large or small a degree as our clients need us to. Our advisors customize portfolios for a wide range of client desires, goals and outcomes. We can provide consultation about whether to include ESG investing in a part of a portfolio, and if so, how to accomplish that.
Contact us today to see what ESG investing options are out there and if they are right for you. We provide a variety of financial services and resources for clients in the Syracuse, NY, area and beyond.
All investing involves risk including loss of principal. No strategy assures success or protects against loss.