This fund has above-average exposure to ESG risk relative to its peers in the Emerging Markets Fixed Income category, earning it the second-lowest Morningstar Sustainability Rating of 2 globes. Funds with 4 or 5 globes tend to hold securities that are less exposed to ESG risk. 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.
One potential issue for a sustainability-focused investor is that T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Bond Fund doesn’t have an ESG-focused mandate. A fund with an ESG-focused mandate would have a higher probability to drive positive ESG outcomes. One area to watch is the strategy’s carbon risk exposure. Although T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Bond Fund's 12-month asset-weighted Carbon Risk Score of 34.5 is classed as medium, it is situated at the higher end of the medium carbon risk band, indicating that the fund's portfolio holdings would fare worse than its peers in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Investors concerned about the transition risks may prefer to consider funds with negligible or low carbon risk. Funds with a lower carbon risk classification may be more favored by investors concerned about transition risks, as such funds often tilt toward companies that operate in sectors less exposed to the transition (for example, healthcare and IT) or companies in more carbon-intensive sectors (for example, materials and utilities) that consider climate change in their business strategy, and therefore are positively aligned with the transition. Currently, the fund has 56.8% involvement in fossil fuels, which is high in both absolute and relative terms. The average peer in the same Emerging Markets Bond category has 39.8% exposure to fossil fuel-related businesses. Companies are considered involved in fossil fuels if they derive at least 5% of their revenue from thermal coal, oil, and gas. The fund has extremely high exposure (23.81%) to companies with high or severe controversies. From bribery and corruption to workplace discrimination and environmental incidents, controversies are incidents that have a negative impact on stakeholders or the environment, which create some degree of financial risk for the company. Severe and high controversies can have significant financial repercussions, ranging from legal penalties to consumer boycotts. In addition, they can damage the reputation of both companies themselves and their shareholders.