ESG Investing
Clearing the Air: Responsible Investment
May 8, 2019
Topics - ESG Investing
We thank all of those at UN PRI who reviewed this piece as well as those at AQR Capital Management, with special thanks to Nicole Carter for her contributions. Learn more about AQR's ESG initiatives.
Over the last several years, Responsible Investment 1 1 Close Responsible Investment is inclusive here of all its aliases, for example Sustainable Investment (Sl), Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), or Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investing. has gained prominence among institutional investors and indeed the broader investment industry. Asset owners have made this topic more central to investment decisions as they are increasingly concerned with both their fiduciary responsibility to deliver financial results and non-financial impact on their constituents and the broader global community.
Buoyed by this prioritization, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing is now a frequent area of focus within traditional investment strategies and is a rapidly growing new product category in and of itself. At present, ESG adoption varies by region, but research by Greenwich Associates found that, of global investors not yet incorporating ESG, nearly three-fourths are considering incorporating it into their investment portfolios. 2 2 Close Greenwich Associates, 2018: ESG Investing: The Global Phenomenon (summary, methodology, and report downloadable here).
Responsible Investing's reach is vast. However, so too is confusion around the meaning of the concept. This is unsurprising, given the many different motives for and approaches to considering ESG factors and many different opinions about exactly what they include.
We therefore seek to “clear the air,” providing a framework of the various approaches and terms necessary to have an informed discussion and investment policy on Responsible Investment.
This document is not intended to, and does not relate specifically to any investment strategy or product that AQR offers. It is being provided merely to provide a framework to assist in the implementation of an investor’s own analysis and an investor’s own view on the topic discussed herein.
This document has been provided to you solely for information purposes and does not constitute an offer or solicitation of an offer or any advice or recommendation to purchase any securities or other financial instruments and may not be construed as such. The factual information set forth herein has been obtained or derived from sources believed by the author and AQR Capital Management, LLC (“AQR”) to be reliable but it is not necessarily all-inclusive and is not guaranteed as to its accuracy and is not to be regarded as a representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the information’s accuracy or completeness, nor should the attached information serve as the basis of any investment decision. This document is not to be reproduced or redistributed to any other person. The information set forth herein has been provided to you as secondary information and should not be the primary source for any investment or allocation decision. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. Diversification does not eliminate the risk of experiencing investment losses.
This material is not research and should not be treated as research. This paper does not represent valuation judgments with respect to any financial instrument, issuer, security or sector that may be described or referenced herein and does not represent a formal or official view of AQR. The views expressed reflect the current views as of the date hereof and neither the author nor AQR undertakes to advise you of any changes in the views expressed herein.
The information contained herein is only as current as of the date indicated, and may be superseded by subsequent market events or for other reasons. Charts and graphs provided herein are for illustrative purposes only. The information in this presentation has been developed internally and/or obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, neither AQR nor the author guarantees the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of such information. Nothing contained herein constitutes investment, legal, tax or other advice nor is it to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. There can be no assurance that an investment strategy will be successful. Historic market trends are not reliable indicators of actual future market behavior or future performance of any particular investment which may differ materially, and should not be relied upon as such. Diversification does not eliminate the risk of experiencing investment losses.
The information in this paper may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events, targets, forecasts or expectations regarding the strategies described herein, and is only current as of the date indicated. There is no assurance that such events or targets will be achieved, and may be significantly different from that shown here. The information in this document, including statements concerning financial market trends, is based on current market conditions, which will fluctuate and may be superseded by subsequent market events or for other reasons.