ESG means investing in a way that considers a company's environmental, social, and governance profile. But will ESG help you meet your investment goals and deliver impact?
ESG is a tool that seeks to expand upon a traditional analysis of corporate value by including environmental, social and governance metrics. This approach recognizes that ESG factors, though labeled 'non-financial' in traditional accounting terms, may still be critical to a company's bottom line.
Almost twenty years ago, investors found that companies with better management of ESG factors tended to match or outperform(opens in new tab) their peers, especially over the long term. In other words, companies that anticipated market stressors or opportunities related to sustainability-such as growing water scarcity-would be better positioned to thrive in that future environment. Since then, ESG investing has blossomed into a multi-trillion-dollar industry that relies on many different approaches.
As demand for corporate environmental accountability increases, there are steps IT administrators can take to reduce cloud-related emissions.
One reason for optimism on combating climate change is the elevated awareness, including amongst IT leaders, that the time for action is now.
In a 2021 Google-commissioned study by IDG based on a global survey of more than 2,000 IT decision-makers, 90% of respondents said that sustainability is a priority for their IT department, and 75% considered sustainability a 'must-have' or 'major consideration' when evaluating cloud providers. However, the survey also showed that action lags intent when it comes to taking climate action as an IT leader. Only 67% of respondents had environmental sustainability targets in place.
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