“ESG is really about risks,”
PitchBook analysts write in
PitchBook Analyst Note: ESG and the Private Markets published in April. More specifically, the authors explain that ESG factors measure and address risks that have not historically been captured in financial statements − risks that could harm a company that fails to take such risks into consideration. In the private markets, LPs are increasingly including ESG criteria into their due diligence and investment processes.
From our vantage, we see the ESG mark on fund finance expand almost daily through funds raised with an ESG mandate, facilities structured to incorporate ESG toggles, new announcements of banks forming ESG-dedicated groups and an acceleration in ESG-focused hiring activity. We’re not alone in concluding that ESG is rapidly gaining prominence: