Why ESG is the Future of Business – and Treasury

With ‘sustainability’ being today’s buzzword, there has never been a better time to clear up the misconceptions about environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures, not least among the treasury community. In the first of a three-part series on this increasingly important topic, experts from Bank of America tackle the myths and mysteries head on, offering a new perspective for 2021 and beyond.

Often labelled as ‘a feel-good marketing strategy’ or ‘greenwashing’, it’s little surprise that some view the ESG agenda with a little scepticism. Of course, it is natural to question the values and agendas that nestle among the good work being done in this space; but there comes a time when the debate must stop and action must begin.

Indeed, with sustainability-based strategies becoming essential for driving business growth and transformation, this is the ideal moment to re-examine the treasurer’s role in supporting, and embracing, ESG.

Melissa Moi
Head of Asia Pacific Environment, Social, Governance, Bank of America

What ESG truly means

Although the broader goal is generally understood, the core elements of ESG can lack definition. For Melissa Moi, Head of Asia Pacific Environment, Social, Governance, Bank of America, the term broadly represents the non-financial factors that affect company performance.

‘Environmental’ typically addresses issues around operational footprint, such as greenhouse gas emissions, landfill waste, and water and paper usage within the business, its suppliers and customers, she explains.

‘Social’ elements, says Moi, range from more traditional corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagements such as philanthropy and community work, to employee treatment and well-being, diversity and inclusion, and workplace health and safety. Cyber risk management also falls into the social bucket, given the ethical and human rights concerns that surround data privacy and data security.

‘Governance’, often the less-talked-about but nonetheless vital aspect of ESG, is about decision-making and the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different stakeholders. “It considers the impact, for example, of organisational structure and oversight, transparency and reporting regimes,” she notes.

This is not an exhaustive list by any means. ESG covers a wide spectrum and the individual elements inevitably interact with each other – and impact how investors and other stakeholders respond to the business. “It is essential to look at the entire ESG grouping as one, rather than viewing ‘E’, ‘S’, and ‘G’ in isolation. Moreover, one element should not be considered ‘more important’ than another. Think of it as an ESG ecosystem, rather than siloes,” Moi observes.

Understanding the real value of ESG

Translated into corporate significance, ESG is first and foremost about managing risk and establishing response structures and measures, says Moi. “Considering ESG-related factors holds up a lens through which organisations begin to see and understand different risk exposures. A good example is the risk of disruption to business processes as a result of diverse factors ranging from adverse weather events to human rights issues.”

There is, she notes, a strong link between business success and effective ESG planning. In fact, ESG increasingly creates opportunity, she believes. “Early adopters who understand consumer interests and investor preferences are better able to assess the impact and discuss matters such as climate change with their stakeholders – which can only be a positive move.”

Those that move early on ESG are also better positioned to invest in research and development (R&D) or acquire appropriate technologies enabling them to respond to these different stakeholder pressures in ways that offer market differentiation. For Moi: “ESG is becoming a serious means of attracting new and different investor flows and ultimately adding value to products and services”.

Indeed, early ESG engagement has seen Bank of America build a strong reputation among its stakeholders, including investors, over many years, says Moi. “It’s allowed us to demonstrate our commitment, building ESG into the values that we talk about as a firm, and how we operate.”

Having a long and close association with ESG incorporated within its framework means the bank can respond rapidly to unfolding events in a highly practical and efficient way. The Covid-19 health crisis, for instance, saw Bank of America maintaining service quality despite the enormous pressure on personnel, employee satisfaction criteria having already benefitted from significant investment.

Acceleration of ESG in supply chains

Elsewhere, the health crisis has intensified the focus on ESG, particularly in the supply chain space, says Peter Jameson, Head of Trade & Supply Chain Finance, Asia Pacific, Global Transaction Services, Bank of America. With many of the bank’s clients already thinking about re-organising their supply chains, the health crisis acted as a catalyst. The focus is less now on labour cost, he notes, and more about being closer to the end-user.

“Although near-shoring re-emerged as a trend because of disruptions to supply chains as a result of global lockdowns, inevitably it is beneficial for carbon footprints, and this is also being factored into decisions.” What’s more, “as new supplier bases are onboarded, there’s more thought about ethical sourcing and the notion that much of an organisation’s environmental footprint is external and in downstream supply chains,” he says.

To this end, Jameson notes too that there has been a huge uptick in interest in supply chain finance (SCF) as a working capital tool. This has a genuine ESG driver. “Many companies realised during the crisis that providing a sustainable cushion of working capital to their suppliers is in itself a sustainability tool,” he explains. “Keeping suppliers afloat is about sustainability in every sense – supporting the community and ensuring business runs smoothly.”

Another ESG-related area that has been accelerated by the health crisis is digitalisation. Shifting from paper to electronic workflows improves efficiency, reduces waste and reduces the corporate’s carbon footprint. And the statistics here are eye opening. According to estimates from Gartner, Inc, a typical office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper a year and up to 3% of a company’s revenue is spent on paper, printing, and related filing and storage activities [1].

Importantly, comments Venkat ES, Head of Treasury Product, Asia Pacific, Global Transaction Services, Bank of America, digitalisation also facilitates inclusivity by lowering the barriers of entry for business customers and suppliers, with digital channels enabling greater access to new networks, regardless of geography.

Global versus local

It’s worth noting here that location is a dynamic ESG element, since different commitment levels have arisen between geographies. Europe has quite an advanced outlook, Moi feels, certainly in terms of investor requirements and the regulatory position of traditional institutional investors that have been driving the ESG conversation.

“What we’re seeing now in Asia is an opportunity to take the lead from a regulatory perspective,” she notes. With a number of authorities in the region exploring closer integration of climate-related risk, and stock exchanges requiring more ESG-related reporting as part of listing requirements, she believes this will drive the requirement for all participants to know and understand their ESG exposures.

Greater understanding will incentivise the development and adoption of sustainable finance products, like sustainable loans, green bonds and social bonds. And with a number of countries in Asia having made commitments to net zero carbon emissions – including Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Hong Kong and China – Moi says this will further widen the regulatory umbrella covering companies operating in this region. “In particular, large corporates headquartered in Asia are going to have to really up their game in terms of ESG governance and digital integration. Other geographies will follow suit, but perhaps not at the same pace.”

Venkat ES
Head of Treasury Product, Asia Pacific, Global Transaction Services, Bank of America

ESG within treasury

These changes signal the importance for treasurers of embracing ESG as part of their own role, argues Jameson. While some may believe ESG is a matter for other functions to address, the treasurer’s role as the ‘central bank of the corporation’ gives them more influence over corporate behaviour than many think.

“From my perspective, treasury is critical in all of this,” he says. “They are at the centre of financial decisions. Whether extending better payment terms to ESG-certified suppliers or higher ESG-scoring customers, or placing ESG investments such as green deposits, treasurers need to be not only aware of and thinking about ESG, but they also need to be at the centre of it.”

Of course, green loans were the origin of much ESG thinking in finance, but Jameson says clients have gone beyond simple acceptance of the product and are giving serious consideration to both sides of the balance sheet. “They also want to understand how that loan is being funded by the bank,” he notes. “They have progressed and are thinking about reputational risk too.”

At a practical level, another way for treasurers to attain a significant boost to their understanding of ESG elements is by opening up digital channels and providing tools for automation. Indeed, when it comes to traditional banking in Asia, Venkat notes that local regulations can mean a heavy burden of document provision.

“There is a weary acceptance of paper-based processing in payment initiation, collections and statement processing across many Asian countries,” he notes. “But data flow and visibility can be improved dramatically through the adoption of emerging technologies. With a change in mindset that steers treasury away from paper towards digitalisation, more light will be shed on all supply chain data. This is vital from the perspective of understanding supplier’s ESG credentials, but it can also lead to significant cash and working capital efficiencies. It’s a double-headed benefit.”

Like Venkat, Moi sees corporates feeling increasing responsibility for their own and their partners’ ESG commitments. “They have to know and understand the standards, measurements, reporting and the traceability of everything that’s happening,” she says. “This is no longer a tick-box exercise that they can execute and walk away from. Treasurers have to play their part.”

Staying in the know

Keeping tabs on changes made internally, and those of external partners, is inevitably more challenging as ESG sophistication increases. For some time, agencies have offered independent assessments and ratings. But reporting of ESG has seen a real leap forward in terms of quality in the last year or so.

“The standards by which companies report has developed significantly, in that they now feel the need to employ auditors and to be certified, means the quality of data emerging can be trusted,” Moi says. As more stringent specifications are issued by investors, activist groups and ratings agencies, credibility must be proven. Eventually, reporting standardisation across the E, S, and G dimensions follows.

Of course, this may be an issue for smaller suppliers that may not have the sophistication to meet reporting and certification requirements. But this is where tools such as sustainable SCF can help investment in resources, which then raises the quality of the entire supply chain. Under such an arrangement, suppliers are incentivised to meet certain sustainability criteria through more favourable financing rates. If these criteria are not met continuously, the financing returns to the less favourable base rate.

That said, the narrative around client exchanges is moving on, says Venkat. He notes that ESG is now cited as “a must-do rather than a nice-to-have”. These conversations are shaping financial strategy, and treasurers are key to this change. Having a bank on board that is demonstrably committed to ESG is also vital, not least in an era of evolving regulation.

Are you ready?

In an effort to integrate ESG into companies’ business as usual practices, Moi has seen leading corporates setting goals and changing business models to reach them. “In the last 18 months we’ve seen the need for companies to pivot, and to do so extremely quickly. This is only going to intensify as the internal and external ESG drivers become more powerful” she notes. “If you plan properly for this ESG-focused future, and factor in transition risk, then you will be well equipped to react in time to operational, commercial and regulatory risks.”

Venkat adds: “It’s highly likely that competitors will be looking at opportunities to invest in technology and R&D to meet ESG goals. And it is a certainty that as investors become increasingly sophisticated in their demands, so corporate reporting of accurate ESG metrics must keep up. More information and transparency is required.”

Jameson echoes this, noting: “We are seeing incredible progress in this space, bringing huge benefits to those already investing in sustainability. Leading treasury professionals are integrating ESG into everyday tasks and processes. This demonstrates that treasury has a unique opportunity to be at the centre of sustainable changes.”  

For more information on Bank of America’s commitment to the Environment, click here.