The level of oversight and reporting on ESG-specific issues are good indicators of how a company measures and manages its exposure to sustainability risks, which is essential to us as investors.
The importance of corporate sustainability disclosure
Increased reporting will improve the flow of sustainability information to investors and others alike. It will make sustainability reporting by companies more consistent so that investors, banks, and regulators can use comparable and reliable sustainability information. Companies based in the EU will be subject to regulations that streamline and demand such reporting, but we will demand the same disclosure from publicly listed companies in all countries.
It is in everyone's interest that companies report on how sustainability issues affect their business and how their operations and products/services impact people and the environment.
Currently, there are differing standards and few regulatory requirements on corporate sustainability disclosure, leading to non-comparable and insufficient information. This results in investors needing a better overview of our portfolio companies' exposure to sustainability risks. This information must be comparable and verifiable to channel our investments toward the most sustainable companies.
Therefore, we will highlight the importance of consistent, reliable, and verifiable reporting on sustainability indicators in our dialogue with our portfolio companies in 2021-2022.
We expect our investee companies to:
- Integrate sustainability risks and measurable targets into the decision-making process
- Provide enhanced corporate disclosures in line with TCFD recommendations where applicable
- Disclose their remuneration policies and packages for senior management and ensure that these align with the companies' sustainability targets
- Report on diversity in the company, such as the gender pay gap and diversity initiatives
- Report on their commitments to adhere to international standards such as the UN Global Compact Principles or other similar frameworks.