Why ESG is the biggest game changer for Credit Managers

Henrica Westhoeve
May 23, 2023 - Reading Time 5 minutes

As a credit manager, your primary responsibility is to ensure an organization is financially stable and profitable. But in today's world, your focus must extend beyond financial performance. ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) has just as much impact today. These factors are increasingly seen as crucial indicators of a company's overall health and sustainability. This makes ESG the biggest game changer for credit managers. We explain everything you need to know about ESG and credit management.

What is ESG?

ESG factors are a set of non-financial criteria used to evaluate a company's performance in terms of environmental impact, social responsibility and corporate governance. ESG criteria can range from a company's environmental footprint, waste management, labor policies to diversity within a board. By integrating ESG criteria into credit ratings, credit managers can gain a more comprehensive view of the risks and opportunities associated with a company's financial performance.

Interesting read: Managing green money

5 reasons why ESG is important for credit managers

There are multiple reasons why ESG has become a game changer for credit managers:

1. Reduce risks

By analyzing ESG factors, credit managers can identify potential risks not captured in traditional financial analyses. For example, a company with poor labor practices or environmental compliance may face regulatory fines, reputational damage or legal action. Those kinds of situations naturally affect that company's financial performance and, if you work together, potentially your company as well.

2. Improve growth and innovation

ESG factors can also uncover opportunities for growth and innovation. For example, customers are increasingly paying attention to where a product comes from and how sustainable a service/product is. So you need to be able to demonstrate how sustainable your product is if you want to win over this customer. However, it is also a good idea to take advantage of ESG factors because it allows you to reach customers who are willing to pay a higher price precisely because the product is sustainable. An ESG also gets you extra attention from investors. Investors are increasingly looking at a company's ESG score because research shows that companies that are actively engaged are also in better financial shape.

3. Meeting stakeholder requirements

Investors, customers and employees are increasingly demanding transparency and accountability from companies regarding their ESG practices. By including ESG criteria in credit ratings, credit managers can meet these demands and align their organization's values with those of stakeholders.

4. Reducing costs

ESG insights can also help you as a company reduce costs by increasing resource efficiency, reducing waste and mitigating risks related to environmental and social issues. For example, a company that invests in renewable energy can reduce reliance on fossil fuels, lower energy bills and reduce the risk of future regulatory penalties for carbon emissions.

5. Sustainable growth in the future

The preceding points actually sum up the last reason. If you are engaged in ESG as a credit professional, you are helping a company grow in a sustainable way tremendously. Both now and over the next decade. ESG is not just a hot topic as previously thought, but really the new measure of sustainability in the broadest sense.

Make ESG insights easy with Altares Dun & Bradstreet

A Credit Manager's role is about to change in a positive way thanks to the advent of ESG. Integrating ESG criteria into credit assessments provides credit managers with a holistic view of the risks and opportunities associated with a company's financial performance. This can help identify potential risks not captured in traditional financial analyses and uncover opportunities for growth and innovation. Moreover, by meeting their stakeholders' ESG requirements, credit managers can align their organization's values with those of its stakeholders and reduce costs through more efficient use of resources and less waste. Thus, it is essential for all Credit Managers to understand ESG factors. This make a significant difference in an organization's success.

However, all this requires a lot of data. This is what Altares Dun & Bradstreet offers. We are a leading provider of business intelligence and insights and offer a range of ESG solutions to help credit managers incorporate ESG criteria into their credit assessments.

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