Morningstar has introduced a new family of impact-focused ESG indexes combining the strengths of global index provider Morningstar Indexes with the ESG Impact Framework of leading ESG research, ratings and data provider Morningstar Sustainalytics.
This new series of nine equity indexes spans five environmental and social impact themes which incorporate alignment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To be included in the indexes, companies must pass stringent ESG screens and have significant revenue aligned to one or more impact themes. To strengthen exposure to the impact themes, index weightings are tilted toward companies with the greatest percentage of revenue derived from SDG-aligned activities.
The SAI Indexes join Morningstar’s growing suite of sustainability data, research and tools for global investors. They are designed to capture companies whose economic activities are aligned with achieving a more just and sustainable world by enabling targeted exposure to important global themes like climate action, human development, resource security, healthy ecosystems and basic needs.
“In speaking with our global clients, we see sustainable investing evolving very quickly, beyond simply measuring ESG risk,” says Morningstar Indexes Head of ESG Strategy Thomas Kuh. “Investors are asking for more sophisticated tools to measure the impact that their assets are having on the environment and, more broadly, on society.”
“Building on investor’s fiduciary responsibilities, a credible and robust strategy for responsible investing includes both ESG risk and impact considerations,” says Vikram Puppala, Morningstar Sustainalytics’ Global Head of Product Strategy. “Investing in companies whose activities align with impact themes that matter to clients and contribute to the globally recognised UN SDGs can help to advance impact strategies. We are excited to launch this family of indexes and look forward to helping investors pursue a variety of impact-related objectives.”
Adds Morningstar Indexes Global Head of ESG Product Rob Edwards, “We are actively developing our global index capabilities with a focus on impact and climate, working closely with our colleagues at Sustainalytics. Our new Sustainable Activities Involvement Indexes are an important step, and we will be introducing additional tools for investors in the coming months.”
