Back in March, responding to the publication of new research
indicating how companies with strong environmental credentials have
been outperforming others during the Covid-19 pandemic, I wrote
that one fact was axiomatic - "sustainable finance was going
to be even more front and centre in the post Covid-19
world".
HSBC had published a research note which highlighted that,
within general stock market "turmoil" of that period,
shares of companies focused on climate change or ESG outperformed
the market over the past three months as the virus has spread.
The note stated that while the environment has been directly
impacted by the pandemic through reduced air travel, home working,
online deliveries, and temporarily lower industrial emissions,
there were also signs that ESG factors had provided useful guidance
for investors looking to understand how companies and sectors are
exposed to the crisis.
