By Ira Srivastava
1. ESG in mergers and acquisitions. Deloitte has conducted a follow up to its 2022 “ESG’s evolving role in corporate M&A decisions” survey. In 2022, there was a significant lack of understanding from M&A professionals and executives on how to connect ESG metrics to M&A deals despite both understanding the importance of doing so. This year’s report finds that that knowledge gap is closing, as 57% of firms now use clear metrics to measure ESG compared to 39% in 2022. Companies are also much more confident in their ability to assess ESG profiles of target acquisitions and better equipped to discuss ESG issues. However, many organizations shared that they did not have a clear ESG strategy to follow post-merger integration. Working to develop a plan for those situations will streamline the process and increase the value of those deals.
2. Tech firms are putting pressure on suppliers to decarbonize. Amazon Web Services, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Digital Realty, and Schneider Electric have published a letter calling on data centre suppliers to begin using Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). An EPD is a document used to disclose the lifetime greenhouse gas emissions of a product, and they are verified by third parties. The information disclosed in an EPD is comprehensive, as it covers lifetime emissions from extraction of raw materials to disposal practices. It is a powerful tool for determining Scope 3 emissions. With the growing energy demand of data centres due to an explosion of artificial intelligence, this is an important step for the digital infrastructure industry to take to address AI-related emissions.
3. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is under fire. For several years now, ESG has been facing harsh blowback from right-wing politicians around the world. One of the most heavily criticized aspects are diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the results of which are becoming more and more apparent. Boards may face litigation over DEI policies, with a survey of C-suite and HR leaders finding that nearly 50% of respondents believe that politics have impacted their company’s DEI strategies. Anti-DEI lawsuits are also becoming more and more common, with 30 filed in the last six years and 10 filed in the first half of 2024 alone. Despite this, companies may want to stay the course on their diversity policies. David Glasgow of the NYU School of Law shares that “[organizations] are more likely to be sued by a traditional discrimination plaintiff like a woman or member of the LGBTQ community than a white man complaining about DEI”.
4. S&P Global joins Sustainalytics in leaving the Indian market. Last November, ESG ratings provider Sustainalytics pulled out of India on the heels of new regulations from the Securities and Exchange Board of India. The country became one of the first in the world to regulate ESG ratings providers after IOSCO’s 2021 conference concluded with calls for tighter regulations. S&P Global has become the next ratings provider to discontinue operations in India citing the same regulations as the reason for the withdrawal. MSCI has announced that it will continue operating in India and comply with all relevant regulations.
5. Companies are making progress on sustainability. Deloitte’s 2024 Sustainability Action Report assesses the readiness of companies to implement sustainability strategies. It found that 77% of respondents were reporting on sustainability topics, but poor ESG data quality remains a key issue. Data quality is one of, if not the, most commonly cited concern. 99% of companies in the survey are getting ready for more rigorous sustainability regulations in the future, often creating new job positions to do so. More than half of respondents observed greater operational efficiency, trust and transparency, and lower risk via sustainability reporting.
Ira Srivastava is Competent Boards’ Program Coordinator. Follow Competent Boards on LinkedIn.