Bloomberg has launched a new tool that will enable investors to assess the impact of a company against any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.
The SDGs are a call to action for all countries to tackle climate change while also ending poverty, improving health and education, reducing inequality, and spurring economic growth. They are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.
Bloomberg’s tool provides new data mapping and materiality assessment that will provide more clarity for investors looking to invest in sustainable assets and align private sector capital with the SDGs.
To do so, Bloomberg integrated the UN Environmental Program Finance Initiative Sector Impact Map into its ESG data offerings, applying the map across 50,000 public companies using Bloomberg’s granular segment revenue classification. The move maps more than 500 sectoral activities to 38 impact topics and the SDGs, while distinguishing between positive and negative impacts a company may have on the environment, people, and economic development.
“Bloomberg’s ESG data, research, and analytics help clients mitigate risk and comply with new and emerging regulatory requirements, and pursue investments aligned with their sustainability commitments,” Patricia Torres, global head of sustainable finance solutions at Bloomberg, said in a statement. “By mapping the UN Sector Impact Map to our comprehensive and high-quality ESG data, our customers can bridge the gap between ESG integration and Impact investing, acting with more clarity and transparency.”
The announcement comes as the market for impact investing surpassed $1 trillion in 2021, according to the Global Impact Investing Network. Despite the increase in investments, the UN estimates there is a funding gap between $2 trillion and $5 trillion to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
The tool also comes as new standards for ESG reporting are making their way through regulatory bodies. The International Sustainability Standards Board issued its first-ever standards earlier this year related to sustainability disclosures by companies.
The reporting standards and Bloomberg’s new tool could potentially negate the ongoing disbelief among investors that corporate sustainability claims are valid.
