Asset owners increasingly demand hard numbers to verify net zero claims
A growing number of investors expect their companies to show detailed and specific data to back up ESG claims and strategies
The impact of the current cost-of-living crisis, combined with climate concerns and global supply chain disruptions, will no doubt remain at the forefront of business leaders’ minds this year, and in the years to come.
Many will be rethinking their business strategies to mitigate the challenges they have faced over the last year and maintain profitability in the months to come.
In fact, recent research shows that nearly 79 percent of businesses report data will be more important to their strategic decision-making over the next 12 months, particularly when it comes to net zero and green investment strategies.
As many corporates make bold pledges and weighty statements, asset owners are increasingly expecting hard numbers to back up their companies' claims.
Value of detailed ESG data
To drive more confident business decisions, organisations will ultimately need to be able to rely upon trustworthy data to fuel them.
With this in mind, Pat McCarthy, chief revenue officer at Precisely, told Net Zero Investor how consistent, accurate, and contextual data will increasingly play a decisive a role in decision-making for the implementation of net zero principles.
“While stellar products and services used to be enough for companies to attract new customers, investors, and employees – and win their loyalty over time – expectations are now changing,” McCarthy explained.
Stakeholders increasingly want to dive deeper and understand how the companies that they’re engaged with support net zero initiatives.
Moreover, ESG’s already fast-evolving regulatory landscape is putting extra pressure on tech companies to know where they are on their net zero journeys, McCarthy added.
“This pressure will only increase," he said.
However, organisations can only create and achieve net zero targets with accurate, consistent, and contextual data for ESG reporting, he stressed.
“Data is one of the most important factors for gaining insight, measuring metrics, and filling in the gaps when it comes to net zero practices.”
Data infrastructure
Although many companies already have a data infrastructure in place, many find it is not detailed or trustworthy enough to properly report on these initiatives, McCarthy pointed out.
“Companies will find they need to establish a foundation of data integrity to make strategic decisions based on trustworthy ESG data,” he noted.
“As part of this, more companies will invest in technology that combines data integration, data governance and quality, location intelligence, and data enrichment capabilities,” McCarthy concluded.
