ESG refers to the environmental, social, and governance standards that investors and other stakeholders can use to evaluate a company’s or issuer’s behavior and practices. Environmental (E) issues can include how a company or issuer recycles, manages water usage, lowers CO2 emissions, or disposes of waste. Social (S) issues comprise how a company manages relationships with employees, customers, vendors and suppliers, and the local community. Governance (G) issues can include board and leadership integrity, capital allocation, and executive compensation. 

Sustainable investing seeks to generate positive financial returns alongside positive social and environmental outcomes. There are several sub-categories of SI, including impact, climate, ESG integration, and sustainable theme, among others. Sustainable investing can be done in public or private markets, and across equity, fixed income, and alternative asset classes.

Wellington’s sustainable and ESG investment approaches are all nonconcessionary, meaning the investment teams intend to deliver competitive investment returns — relative to benchmarks and peers — by leveraging their stated ESG or sustainable investing philosophy and process.

As with any relatively new market category, timely and transparent information, standardized disclosure and reporting, and consistent rating methodologies are important. Investors must be able to reasonably evaluate the sustainability of the assets in which they invest. In addition, some regions have been slow to embrace this category amid social, macro, or political headwinds. Reaching stated sustainability objectives may prove challenging for some companies and/or investors. Finally, the regulatory environment for sustainable investing, particularly regarding climate change, continues to evolve. Standards around business and investment practices are being developed but local inconsistencies remain.