News & Analysis

Video: The quest for the ‘Holy Grail’ of ESG data

In this five-minute film, we hear from CalPERS, AP4 and the European Investment Fund about the lack of standardised ESG data in private markets, how this has held sustainability efforts back and why the future is starting to look brighter. 

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It remains arguably the biggest stumbling block to integrating environmental, social and governance issues into investment decision-making: data.

To be precise: standardised, universal, comparable ESG data.

Without it, investors have to rely on anecdotal evidence. “What we end up with is a lot of ESG stories,” says Julia Jaskolska, co-investment and ESG lead at CalPERS Private Equity. “While these stories are real and impactful, and they matter for humans, it is impossible to make sense of stories at scale.”

In this five-minute film, produced in collaboration with 52 Digital, we hear from three limited partners – CalPERS, AP4 and the European Investment Fund – about the lack of standardised ESG data in private markets, how this has held sustainability efforts back and why the future is starting to look brighter.