Keynote presentation on ESG in investment in Africa for Trading Africa 7 November 2013, Cape Town, South Africa for Thomson Reuters for AfricaSIF.org and SinCo
2. TOO LITTLE OR TOO LATE?
Reality Checks for ESG in Investment in Africa in 2013
Graham Sinclair
@esgarchitect
graham.sinclair@sincosinco.com
Linkedin.com/in/grahamsinclair
Skype: graham_sinclair
+27.81.87.87.332 RSA
+1.484.802.9908 USA
+1.802.332.6887 SkypeIn
Monday, November 11, 13
3. SinCo designs ESG
architecture for long term
sustainable investment
that matters.
•
With fellow CSR Africa keynote and sustainability legend,
Gro Harlem Brundtland in Nigeria, May 2012.
SinCo - sustainable
investment consulting - is a
specialist sustainable
investment advisory boutique
formed in February 2007. We
have no other focus, we have
no conflicts of interest. We
build investment conviction
and competence for our
clients using ESG factors in
investment ecosystems.
Sustainable
Investment
Consulting
Discussing the impact and future of the PRI with Kofi
Annan in The Netherlands, May 2008.
•
Debating the progress of ESG in Africa and the role of
private equity at the JSE in South Africa, August 2012.
Monday, November 11, 13
SinCo has a track record of
building robust answers to
tough questions in
sustainable investment. Our
clients have included
institutional investors, UN
agencies and international
NGOs, think tanks and
foundations and stock
exchanges.
www.sincosinco.com
@SinCoESG
info@sincosinco.com
4. AfricaSIF.org is a new, strategic step in facilitating investment in Africa that purposefully integrates environmental,
social and governance (ESG) factors.
Africa Sustainable Investment Forum is an independent, Pan-African, not-for-profit network, knowledgebase and
advocate promoting investment in sustainable development across the continent. Launched in June 2010, the
AfricaSIF.org Project is run by volunteers building a network of institutions and individuals promoting sustainable
investment in Africa by investors in public, private and philanthropy sectors across asset classes, countries and
stakeholders from our platform at www.africasif.org.
AfricaSIF.org defines "sustainable investment" as "an approach to investment in any asset class in Africa where
environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are proactively integrated at any stage of the investment life cycle."
You are invited to join our all-volunteer AfricaSIF.org project leadership team, or sign up as an individual member, or
join your organization as an institutional member from 2014. Join us at africasif.org/support.
4
Monday, November 11, 13
Prepared by SinCo [sincosinco.com] for Thomson Reuters Trading Africa 2013. Author: Graham Sinclair. Copyright SinCo 2013.
5. THE 3rd ANNUAL TRADING AFRICA SUMMIT 6 - 7 NOVEMBER 2013
Mega-trends driving growth in ESG
1.
More beneficial owners - you and me as members of funds - and the trustees stewarding retirement funds, are
asking more questions. Institutional investment is a competitive global industry. professionals manage portfolios
across asset classes, project and company types; financing/investing in stages of companies/projects business
cycles.
2.
Increasing materiality of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors is driving investors, and their endclients, to integrate sustainability concepts. US$13.6 trillion globally, US$229 billion in Africa according to
AfricaSIF.org estimates, are self-reported investments proactively using ESG in investment policy or process. FT
this week reports both Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs have launched "impact investment" portfolios.
Positive/best-in-class screening stands at just over $1.0 trillion, while impact investing ($89 billion) and
sustainability-themed investments ($83 billion) are comparatively small.
3.
Increasing quality of coverage of ESG flowing from professional ratings agencies offers (and responds to calls
for) sharper focus. With more coverage, is the opportunity to use of new ESG valuation models. Pursuit of
"sustainability alpha" continues; ESG benchmarking and performance attribution growing.
4.
Improving African investment context is attracting capital. The long term investment in Africa hypothesis
may benefit from making the sustainable investment case for the positive outcomes, or reduction in negative
impacts, from integrating more, not less material factors including ESG. New research studies are mostly ex-Africa,
but are making the case for sustainable investment has a more developed investment thesis, for example,
research studies reflect that 1) companies with high ESG scores are found to have less company specific risk OR
2) corporations with better ESG ratings are found to have lower cost of debt and higher credit ratings.
5.
Where is the there, there? Africa has some historical support in PE because of first assets coming from DFIs,
so that 50% investment dollars in private equity in Sub-Saharan Africa is DFI-linked US$12 / US$25bn in 2011. Is
it all “greenwashing” or “blue-washing”? The 2009 bump in PRI signatories following the GEPF mandate in RSA
produced more hype than reality; some Africa funds are better than others.
Prepared by SinCo [sincosinco.com] for Thomson Reuters Trading Africa 2013. Author: Graham Sinclair. Copyright SinCo 2013.
Monday, November 11, 13
6. THE 3rd ANNUAL TRADING AFRICA SUMMIT 6 - 7 NOVEMBER 2013
Drivers for ESG in investment in Africa
1.
The primary drivers identified by institutional investors in 2010-2011:
1.
Good investment returns (a record of premium from ESG integration)
2.
Explicit and tangible ESG benefits/impact
3.
More information
4.
Government/regulator incentives
5.
Demands from clients/investor mandate/shareholder pressure.
2.
Further exposition of the ESG as value driver and developing the sustainability hypothesis “More
3.
Five recommendations to grow ESG in Sub-Saharan Africa through 2020: 1. Key influencers to drive messaging
2.Streamline ESG reporting 3.Leverage local knowledge 4.Make the sustainable investment case 5.Keep score
capital available to pursue ESG mandates…Increased returns, higher exit values, due to ESG…There has to be a
business by business basis to try and get help to improve attractiveness. Standards don't really help, but increased
awareness on governance and more board training would help. Also being realistic about what can be achieved.” –
composite verbatim comments [Sustainable Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa by SinCo + RisCura commissioned by
IFC, July 2011].
Prepared by SinCo [sincosinco.com] for Thomson Reuters Trading Africa 2013. Author: Graham Sinclair. Copyright SinCo 2013.
Monday, November 11, 13
7. THE 3rd ANNUAL TRADING AFRICA SUMMIT 6 - 7 NOVEMBER 2013
Availability of ESG growing, in Africa also
Source: Thomson Reuters Asset4, November 2013
Prepared by SinCo [sincosinco.com] for Thomson Reuters Trading Africa 2013. Author: Graham Sinclair. Copyright SinCo 2013.
Monday, November 11, 13
8. THE 3rd ANNUAL TRADING AFRICA SUMMIT 6 - 7 NOVEMBER 2013
ESG of ESG are global
Codes codesare global
Prepared by SinCo [sincosinco.com] for Thomson Reuters Trading Africa 2013. Author: Graham Sinclair. Copyright SinCo 2013.
Monday, November 11, 13
11. THE 3rd ANNUAL TRADING AFRICA SUMMIT 6 - 7 NOVEMBER 2013
The role for sustainable investors in Africa: DFI PE LP
PROPARCO 2012 report on Private Equity investments in real economy.
"Committed to promoting the highest environmental and social standards".
EUR2.6bn, up 24% vs 2010.
1. People connected to telcoms
2. Jobs created
3. Pollution behaviour and reductions in greenhouse gases
4. Increased taxes paid
5. Access to finance
6. Projects improving environment and society
7. Shipping tons
SOURCE: Proparco, 2013
Prepared by SinCo [sincosinco.com] for Thomson Reuters Trading Africa 2013. Author: Graham Sinclair. Copyright SinCo 2013.
Monday, November 11, 13
12. THE 3rd ANNUAL TRADING AFRICA SUMMIT 6 - 7 NOVEMBER 2013
What ESG issues?
Mining sector
Platinum Rock drill operator at Lonmin mine coaching investors. PHOTOCREDIT: SinCo archive, September 2013
Monday, November 11, 13
13. THE 3rd ANNUAL TRADING AFRICA SUMMIT 6 - 7 NOVEMBER 2013
Sustainability News & ESG Special Reports
Prepared by SinCo [sincosinco.com] for Thomson Reuters Trading Africa 2013. Author: Graham Sinclair. Copyright SinCo 2013.
Monday, November 11, 13
14. THE 3rd ANNUAL TRADING AFRICA SUMMIT 6 - 7 NOVEMBER 2013
The role for sustainable investors in Africa: Chinese lessons
"To ensure that companies properly address ESG issues, investors should understand their investees’ internal
control policies and systems and work with them to strengthen their controls to prevent future
crises...investors in China should”
1.
Pay close attention to local news reports of companies that are fined for violating standards.
Problems identified at local levels may indicate wider problems throughout the corporation, even if
they are not picked up by national media. Proactively track social media for ESG-related news
reports.
2.
Actively follow companies’ responses to ESG-related accusations, and work with other
investors to influence company actions by using networks. Closely monitor warning and blacklists,
and inform your investees that you are doing so.
3.
Work with local and/or global NGOs active on ESG issues in order to identify poor-performing
companies.Investors cannot depend on the local media, since the media is not as critical or
investigative as media in other countries, and many news stories may not be published as a result
of corporate or political influence.
4.
Visit local branches of investee companies, set-up a local staff presence, and foster a
relationship with the management of investee companies through face-to-face meetings.
SOURCE: Sustainable Investment in China | What Investors Need to Know About the Top ESG Challenges in China, September 2011. BSR’s
work with Sumitomo Trust and Banking’s “China Good Company” stock fund.
Prepared by SinCo [sincosinco.com] for Thomson Reuters Trading Africa 2013. Author: Graham Sinclair. Copyright SinCo 2013.
Monday, November 11, 13
15. THE 3rd ANNUAL TRADING AFRICA SUMMIT 6 - 7 NOVEMBER 2013
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2013: “understanding of asset
prices...relies in part on fluctuations in risk and risk attitudes, and in part on behavioral biases and market frictions.“
The brightest minds have different views of how future valuations look. Alternative asset classes and strategies map
both the predictive math, the flow of information embedded in the price at a point in time. ESG is in there.
What investment beliefs describe your investment in Africa philosophy of asset pricing? And wait, there’s more.
State Street Center for Applied Research paper based on 3,300 interviews with policymakers, investment
professionals and investment consumers The Influential Investor (2012) findings include i) Investors are not acting in
their own best interest, ii) investment consumers are becoming more aware of the system’s instability.
Eugene F. Fama, Lars Peter Hansen, Robert J. Shiller
Prepared by SinCo [sincosinco.com] for Thomson Reuters Trading Africa 2013. Author: Graham Sinclair. Copyright SinCo 2013.
Monday, November 11, 13
16. THE 3rd ANNUAL TRADING AFRICA SUMMIT 6 - 7 NOVEMBER 2013
Reality Checks for ESG in Investment in Africa in 2013
1.
Tomorrow is another country. All future sustainability thinking and investment integrating ESG will evolve in the
context of more assets based in Asia, increased investment and consumption demand from frontier and emerging
economies, savers stretched to defer consumption for investment, and multimedia channels for communication in
all directions.
2.
Too Little or Too Late? What is said versus what is actually done about making ESG in investment happen in
Africa, and how slowly the market is growing.
1.
Too Little? the small "ESG branded" size of the market with around 1% of assets in Africa branded for
ESG issues (eg ABC Low Carbon Fund or XYZ Impact Fund) AND small demand for ESG research and
thin reporting by investment managers on ESG performance attribution, relative to positioning by
institutional investors' claims of ESG. Relative to the addressable market of professionally managed money
- BCG reports global AuM grew to record $62.4 trillion in 2012.
2.
Too Late? Realities of African economies and investment practice that have failed to proactively advocate
for ESG, and now we sit with economies that look much like traditional economies (investors care first
about profit, not Africa's legacy)
1.
The social license to operate of many industries is weak and societies have huge inequities
(investment impact of Marikana). One billion consumers face harder route to the middle class.
2.
Natural environment in Africa has already paid a huge price for exploitation. The planet as
a whole is going to blow thru the limits suggested to prevent long term serious changes in climate.
Africa with agriculture and tourism based industries, much to suffer from freak climate patterns.
3.
Carbon budget will all used up in 21 years, PWC reports using carbon figures outlined UN’s
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) September 2013 report, threatening to cause
global warming of more than double the threshold deemed safe by the United Nations.
Prepared by SinCo [sincosinco.com] for Thomson Reuters Trading Africa 2013. Author: Graham Sinclair. Copyright SinCo 2013.
Monday, November 11, 13
17. TOO LITTLE OR TOO LATE?
Reality Checks for ESG in Investment in Africa in 2013
Graham Sinclair
@esgarchitect
graham.sinclair@sincosinco.com
Linkedin.com/in/grahamsinclair
Skype: graham_sinclair
+27.81.87.87.332 RSA
+1.484.802.9908 USA
+1.802.332.6887 SkypeIn
Monday, November 11, 13
18. sustainable investment consulting
Indemnity
This ESG research by SinCo includes funds, firms and initiatives that may be clients of
SinCo, or the parent of, or affiliated with, a client of SinCo. SinCo ESG research reports,
articles and profiles have not been submitted to, nor received approval from, the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission or any other regulatory body. While we have
exercised due care in compiling the information, we make no warranty, express or
implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the information and
assume no liability with respect to the consequences of relying on the information for
investment or other purposes. In particular, SinCo ESG research is not intended to
constitute an offer, solicitation or advice to buy or sell securities.
Without limiting any of the foregoing and to the maximum extent permitted by law, in no
event shall SinCo have any liability regarding any of the Information for any direct, indirect,
special, punitive, consequential (including lost profits) or any other damages even if
notified of the possibility of such damages. The foregoing shall not exclude or limit any
liability that may not by applicable law be excluded or limited.
18
Monday, November 11, 13