Course on ESG analysis of companies launches

By ESG Clarity Intelligence

Candriam has added a new course to its training platform that teaches investors how to analyse ESG profiles of different companies.

Part of the Candriam Academy, which already has modules on ‘An Introduction to SRI, ‘Circular Economy’ and ‘Climate Change’, the new one-hour training session on ‘ESG Analysis of Companies’ details five steps to understanding a company’s ESG risk profile.

These are:

• Examine a company’s revenues and spending to understand its main activity and its future direction
• Look at how this main activity aligns with sustainability objectives
• Ask whether the company’s operational conduct presents any scope for future controversies
• Ongoing analysis acts as the best warning system
• Cross pollinate ESG data across different functions, including corporate engagement

The Candriam Academy is free to access and an accredited training platform for sustainable and responsible investing. There are 11 modules in total currently available currently being used by 8,000 members.

Vincent Hamelink, CIO, commented on the ‘ESG Analysis of Companies’ module: “Our new module provides investors with the essential tools to build a more complete understanding of a company’s ESG risk profile. Its introduction enhances our existing training programme and will further increase the Academy’s role in accelerating the transition to a more sustainable future through encouraging responsible and sustainable investment best practice.”

David Czupryna (pictured), head of ESG development, added: “There is a growing expectation for investors to undertake sound ESG analysis to fully understand a company’s risk profile. Whilst financial information has been subject to mandatory disclosure in a number of markets for some time, the scope of information available to investors for ESG analysis can vary significantly from one company to another. We therefore felt it was important to leverage our own experience in responsible investment to guide investors on the key steps that are required in their own ESG analysis within investment decision making.”