This fund has relatively low exposure to ESG risk compared with its peers in the Asia ex-Japan Equity category, earning it the second highest Morningstar Sustainability Rating of 4 globes. ESG risk measures the degree to which material environmental, social, and governance issues, such as climate change, biodiversity, human capital, as well as bribery and corruption, could affect valuations. ESG risk differs from impact, which is about driving positive environmental and social outcomes for society’s benefit.
A potential issue for a sustainability-focused investor is that iShares MSCI Pacific ex-Jpn ETF is not classified by its manager as Article 8 or Article 9 of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, meaning that the fund doesn't aim to promote ESG characteristics or have a sustainable objective. Currently, the fund has 21.8% involvement in fossil fuels, surpassing 17.2% for the average peer in its category. Companies are considered involved in fossil fuels if they derive some revenue from thermal coal, oil, and gas. The fund exhibits high exposure (14.29%) to companies with severe controversies. Controversies are incidents that have a negative impact on stakeholders or the environment, which create some degree of financial risk for the company. Examples of types of controversies include bribery and corruption scandals, workplace discrimination and environmental incidents. Severe and high controversies can have significant financial repercussions, ranging from legal penalties to consumer boycotts. Such controversies can also damage the reputation of both companies themselves and their shareholders.
iShares MSCI Pacific ex-Jpn ETF has a 12-month asset-weighted Carbon Risk Score of 10.3. This is situated at the lower end of the medium carbon risk band, suggesting that its portfolio holdings are not among the worst-positioned to transition to a low-carbon economy, but they are not among the best-positioned either. Investors concerned about the transition risks may prefer to consider funds with negligible or low carbon risk. Such funds invest in companies that tend to operate in sectors less exposed to the transition (such as healthcare and IT) and/or companies in more carbon-intensive sectors (such as industrials and utilities) but that consider climate change in their business strategy and products, and therefore are positively aligned with the transition.