Can ESG Investing Drive Positive Change?
VO: Can investments drive positive change?
At PIMCO we see investments as an opportunity to build relationships.
We believe engaging with bond issuers on sustainability can help create positive impact, unlock value and uncover investment risks.
Engagement is one way PIMCO supports environmental, social, and governance goals.
We seek to engage with issuers willing to put real effort into developing and even transforming their business practices to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals - the global plan to achieve a sustainable future for all.
In 2018, we engaged with 147 issuers on forward-looking ESG ideas.
27% of our engagements related to environmental issues.
When engaging on climate risks, we encourage companies to set ambitious targets to prepare for climate change, and to report their progress.
19% of engagements related to social issues.
We find companies that provide fair and safe working conditions and look out for product risks and supply chain problems tend to be strategic long-term thinkers. We believe they make better investments.
We ask companies: How do they measure success for their employees? And how do they monitor product safety and quality?
25% of engagements were about governance.
Governance is how a company demonstrates its integrity. It’s about trust.
We ask companies how they manage their data risks and encourage them to adopt rigorous standards.
29% of engagements focused on an issuer’s positive impact.
At the beginning of 2019, our engagement with two US banks led to the creation and issuance of bonds mapped to the UN SDGs.
As an ESG investor, we think like a treasurer, engage like a partner and hold to account as a lender.
In short, we believe that issuers who pay attention to ESG factors are more than just good for the world. They are often better investments.
Text on screen with logo: Through ESG engagement, we are pushing global markets towards financing a more sustainable future.