Most advisors are still not seeing an overwhelming demand from clients for ESG investing, according to Practical Perspectives, a research and consulting firm based in Boston.
Because of the lack of interest on the part of many clients, only one in four advisors is now using ESG (environmental, social, governance) factors in their investing, according to the survey of 550 advisors and broker-dealers released Tuesday.
Forty percent of advisors have taken ESG factors into consideration in their planning at some point, the study said. Most advisors using ESG investing use mutual funds or ETFs and rely on third parties to help them identify ESG approaches.
A second obstacle to the growth of ESG investing is advisors’ lack of training and education on ESG issues, with most advisors waiting for clients to bring up the subject rather than initiating the conversation themselves, the study said.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm on the part of some advisors for ESG investing, 30 percent of those who do use the strategy enthusiastically embrace ESG and use it as part of the value proposition they offer clients, according to the survey.
Advisors who do not use ESG said there is a lack of standards defining ESG and an absence of methodologies to assess solutions. They also want to see a longer-term track record and more investment choices, and they still fear ESG investments underperform, according to the survey.
“Most advisors are familiar with ESG investing but are not motivated to offer these solutions broadly to clients,” said Howard Schneider, president of Practical Perspectives and author of the report. “Beyond advisors who are ESG enthusiasts, most advisors are not proactively incorporating ESG into their investment process. Few non-users of ESG expect to leverage these solutions until client demand becomes more extensive.”