• Home
  • News
  • In-depth
  • Opinion
  • Energy
    • Wind
    • Marine
    • Solar
    • Biomass
    • Nuclear
    • CCS
    • Infrastructure
  • Policy
    • Politics
    • Legislation
    • Taxation
  • Management
    • Marketing
    • Risk
    • Skills
    • Incentives
    • Carbon Accounting
  • Technology
    • Waste
    • Recycling
    • R&D
    • Efficiency
    • IT
  • Investment
    • Carbon Trading
    • Offsets
    • Venture Capital
  • Net Zero Now
  • Events & Awards
  • SDG Hub
  • Industry Voice
  • Newsletters
  • Sign in
  •  
      • Newsletters
      • Account details
      • Contact support
      • Sign out
     
    • You are currently accessing BusinessGreen via your Enterprise account.

      If you already have an account please use the link below to sign in.

      If you have any problems with your access or would like to request an individual access account please contact our customer service team.

      Phone: +44 (0) 1858 438800

      Email: [email protected]

      • Sign in
  • Follow us
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Newsletters
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • Free Trial
  • Subscribe
  • Events & Awards
    • Upcoming events
      event logo
      Webinar: Net Zero Investment: What role do investors play?
      • Date: 13 Jan 2021
      • Online, Webinar
      event logo
      NZF Pathway - Finance

      This exclusive half day online event will investigate how all businesses can support and accelerate the transition to low and net zero carbon buildings, while maximising the financial and productivity opportunities that will result.

      • Date: 16 Mar 2021
      • Online Event
      event logo
      Net Zero Festival 2021

      Net Zero Festival is the world's first business festival dedicated to exploring, advancing, and celebrating the global transition to a net zero emission economy. Join us at BusinessGreen's Net Zero Festival – for leaders who won't wait until 2050 to build a better business, and a better world.

      • Date: 27 Sep 2021
      • Worldwide
      View all events
  • SDG Hub
Business Green
Business Green
  • Home
  • News
  • In-depth
  • Opinion
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Management
  • Technology
  • Investment
  • Net Zero Now
 
    • Newsletters
    • Account details
    • Contact support
    • Sign out
 
  • You are currently accessing BusinessGreen via your Enterprise account.

    If you already have an account please use the link below to sign in.

    If you have any problems with your access or would like to request an individual access account please contact our customer service team.

    Phone: +44 (0) 1858 438800

    Email: [email protected]

    • Sign in
  • Hot topics
  • Green recovery
  • Net Zero Now
  • Net Zero Leadership
  • Net Zero Finance
Bg bnp hub ribbon
  • Investment

Poor company sustainability disclosure putting SDGs at risk, research suggests

Poor company sustainability disclosure putting SDGs at risk, research suggests
  • Michael Holder
  • Michael Holder
  • @MichaelHolder
  • 13 December 2018
  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  • LinkedIn  
  • Send to  
0 Comments

Only a fraction of firms are reporting progress against the UN SDGs, making capital allocation difficult, analysis by world's biggest bond issuer PIMCO finds

Poor reporting of company sustainability data is putting global efforts to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at risk, analysis by the world's biggest bond investor has found.

A study of more than 240 corporate and financial issuers of bonds conducted by PIMCO found a high awareness of the 17 SDGs, with 63 per cent of companies referencing them in their reporting and 55 per cent mapping their activities to specific goals.

Related articles

  • UK joins 50 nations in pledge to protect 30 per cent of land and oceans by 2030
  • Verdantix expands ESG research practice to meet surging demand for green tech
  • Clean power drives Britain's grid to record low CO2 intensity in 2020
  • Sky announced as 'principal media partner' for COP26

But despite being aware of the goals only 12 per cent of those companies referencing the SDGs had actually set quantitative targets for meeting them, and just six per cent disclosed their progress against them, according to yesterday's study.

PIMCO said the findings indicated many companies "are finding it challenging to translate well-intentioned support into action" and "still lack the expertise to identify activity and targets that can add business value".

Highlighting estimates by the UN Commission on Trade and Development that meeting the 17 goals by 2030 will require $5-7tr of investment each year, it warned that despite growing momentum among corporate issuers to contribute to the goals, overall private sector progress remained "insufficient". It attributed much of the blame to poor reporting of environmental, social and governance (ESG) data by companies.

"Many investors would like to allocate more capital to companies best aligned with the SDGs, but existing levels of disclosure make this difficult to do," PIMCO said.

In order to tackle the gap in corporate reporting and scale up private investment towards the SDGs, therefore, the bond investor called for the development of a common set of impact performance indicators in order to better compare the SDG contribution of companies.

It also urged companies to improve their reporting practices by developing business strategies in line with the SDGs through to 2030. However, it also counselled that firms should identify SDGs most relevant to their business where they can have the greatest impact, rather than opting for generic disclosure across all of the Goals.

"Our hope is that with better disclosure on the SDGs, and the development of an active SDG bond market, investors such as PIMCO will be able to better allocate capital to directly support the Goals," the firm said. "In turn, this should provide more impactful solutions for clients seeking to make positive change through their investment decisions."

  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  • LinkedIn  
  • Send to  
  • Topics
  • Investment
  • Management
  • SDG Hub
  • Sustainable Development Goals
  • bonds
  • Green Bonds

More on Investment

Demand for ESG services and technologies has soared in recent years
    • Management
Verdantix expands ESG research practice to meet surging demand for green tech
    • Management
    • 12 January 2021
Credit: Schroders
    • Investment
'Detail is crucial': Schroders urges UK's biggest companies to publish climate plans in 2021
    • Investment
    • 12 January 2021
The coming year promises to be a monumentally important one for the growing green economy
    • Management
10 green business trends to watch out for in 2021
    • Management
    • 11 January 2021
OnePlanetCapital is a new green investment house launched in 2019
    • Investment
OnePlanetCapital launches specialist green economy investment fund
    • Investment
    • 11 January 2021
Prince Charles has launched the Terra Carta with a short film | Credit: Sustainable Markets Initiative
    • Management
Terra Carta: Prince of Wales launches green recovery charter for business
    • Management
    • 11 January 2021
The bank has been urged to set a 'clear timetable for emission reductions'
    • Investment
HSBC faces shareholder climate resolution from $2.4tr investor group
    • Investment
    • 11 January 2021
China's ETS covers over 2,200 high carbon plants | Credit: zhongguo
    • Energy
Global Briefing: China unveils long-awaited carbon trading market
    • Energy
    • 08 January 2021
Credit: GreenBiz photocollage, via Shutterstock
    • Management
Why sustainability professionals have the edge on anti-racism work
    • Management
    • 08 January 2021

More news

UK joins 50 nations in pledge to protect 30 per cent of land and oceans by 2030
  • Biodiversity
UK joins 50 nations in pledge to protect 30 per cent of land and oceans by 2030

New High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People established in support of '30 by 30' goal, which comes ahead of crucial COP15 biodiversity summit this year

  • 12 January 2021
Boris Johnson: 'Tackling climate change must be part of overall agenda to protect the natural world'
  • Biodiversity
Boris Johnson: 'Tackling climate change must be part of overall agenda to protect the natural world'

The Prime Minister says nations most 'go further' to protect nature, in addition to fighting carbon emissions, in his address to world leaders at the UN-backed One Planet Summit hosted by the French government on Monday

  • 12 January 2021
Verdantix expands ESG research practice to meet surging demand for green tech
  • Management
Verdantix expands ESG research practice to meet surging demand for green tech

Independent research firm says rebooted sustainability practice will allow companies to grow more sustainably

  • 12 January 2021
Clean power drives Britain's grid to record low CO2 intensity in 2020
  • Energy
Clean power drives Britain's grid to record low CO2 intensity in 2020

National Grid ESO data for 2020 confirms raft of new records for wind and solar generation, as well as longest coal-free run since the Industrial Revolution

  • 12 January 2021
blog comments powered by Disqus
Back to Top

Most read

Back two-way EV charging technology to slash costs and emissions, white paper urges
Back two-way EV charging technology to slash costs and emissions, white paper urges
Terra Carta: Prince of Wales launches green recovery charter for business
Terra Carta: Prince of Wales launches green recovery charter for business
Distilleries receive first phase of £10m green whisky fund
Distilleries receive first phase of £10m green whisky fund
Global coffee players brew up 2050 climate plan to slash 1.5 gigatonnes of CO2
Global coffee players brew up 2050 climate plan to slash 1.5 gigatonnes of CO2
UK electric vehicle market enjoys 'best ever year' in 2020
UK electric vehicle market enjoys 'best ever year' in 2020
  • Contact Us
  • Marketing solutions
  • About Incisive Media
  • Terms and conditions
  • Policies
  • Careers
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Incisive Footer Logo

© Incisive Business Media (IP) Limited, Published by Incisive Business Media Limited, New London House, 172 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5QR, registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 09177174 & 09178013

Digital publisher of the year
Digital publisher of the year 2010, 2013, 2016 & 2017
Loading