Environmental, Social and Governance

ESG Integration

ESG integration aims to improve financial performance and/or mitigate financial risk. It involves considering ESG factors explicitly and systematically in investment analysis and decisions to lower risk and generate returns.

It is not about achieving particular environmental, social, or governance goals. It’s about looking at the whole investment picture and considering material ESG components as a driver of risk and/or return.

From a fiduciary perspective, ESG integration should take into account all financially material risks and opportunities that arise out of ESG information. Integrating ESG into your investment decision is an important element in achieving superior long-term compounding benefits.

ESG Integration in Practice

Active
ESG integration encompasses the use of qualitative and quantitative ESG information in the investment processes, with the objective of enhancing investment decision-making. Integration of ESG issues can be used to inform economic and industry research, at the stock or issuer level or at the portfolio construction level.

Index
Integration of ESG issues into alternative-weighted ESG indices in which the constituents’ security weighting takes into account the ESG characteristics of the company or country.

ESG data are included in the investment process and could result in upward or downward adjustments to the weights of securities, including to zero.

Smart Beta
Integration here involves identifying correlations between ESG factors and price movements that can generate alpha and/or reduce risk. Models are constructed to integrate ESG factors alongside other factors, such as value, size, momentum, growth, and volatility.

The main approaches to integrating ESG factors into quantitative models can involve adjusting the weights of:

Each security in the investment universe, according to the statistical relationship between an ESG dataset and other factors.
Securities ranked poorly on ESG to zero.
And reducing the exposure to poorly ranked stocks through constraints.

Questions? Feel free to

View More Information About Our Firm: FINRA’s Brokercheck

This information is for informational purposes only, not to be construed as investment advice or a recommendation or offer to buy or sell any security. Investors should always obtain and read an up-to-date investment services description or prospectus before deciding whether to appoint an investment manager or to invest in a fund. Any views expressed herein are those of the author(s), are based on available information, and are subject to change without notice. Individual portfolio management teams may hold different views and may make different investment decisions for different clients. There are no guarantees regarding the achievement of investment objectives, target returns, portfolio construction, allocations or measurements such as alpha, tracking error, stock weightings and other information ratios. The views and strategies described may not be suitable for all investors. SSGA does not provide tax or legal advice. Prospective investors should consult with a tax or legal advisor before making any investment decision. Investing entails risks and there can be no assurance that SSGA will achieve profits or avoid incurring losses.

Performance quoted represents past performance, which is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, so you may have a gain or loss when shares are sold. Current performance may be higher or lower than that quoted.