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Article | 23 November 2021 | ESG
More regulation, more consistency
Growing numbers of corporate associations are calling for governments to impose stricter regulation over how companies disclose their climate impact. Most recently the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), a group of financial institutions including AXA, demanded an alignment of regulatory frameworks alongside tougher action on carbon pricing.
It’s not often that big businesses demand tighter regulation, but the aim is consistency and simplicity. There is currently a huge variety of voluntary reporting frameworks and initiatives across the globe, and companies are receiving an equally wide variety of requests for information from investors. A single framework could potentially reduce costs and workload, while ensuring that investors and the wider public get the clarity of information they need.
Our view
One of the biggest challenges for responsible investors is the inconsistency of data reporting across companies, sectors and countries. Different reporting frameworks might include different metrics or timeframes, making it difficult to draw meaningful comparisons. With no legal basis for reporting, some companies will also report less data than others. All of this makes it difficult to get a clear picture of a company’s climate impact, and ultimately to make an informed decision when investing responsibly. However, there were positive steps towards a consistent approach at COP26, with the launch of the International Sustainability Standards Board, from global accounting body the IFRS Foundation.
Inside Architas
Each month, we look at the steps Architas and the AXA Group are taking towards a better, more sustainable future for our employees, communities and the wider world.
The AXA Learning Week took place at the end of October, with a focus on climate change. As part of the initiative, many Architas staff joined the AXA Climate Academy, completing an online training module on the science of climate change, and how business practices can make a difference. For every person who completed the training, a tree was planted in an agroforestry project in the Mara region of Tanzania.
Our approach
At Architas we specialise in multi-manager, multi-asset investing. We work with fund managers to ensure they are investing responsibly and focusing on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. In 2018, we began our journey to full ESG integration across all of our offers, and we aim to achieve this by the end of 2021. Since 2018 we have also been signatories of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. For more information about our responsible investing process please click here.
