2022 ESG Trends Introduction

What can the past tell us about the future?

When we first published our annual ESG trends to watch a decade ago, climate change, the value of human and natural capital, and conflicting demands for water all made the list. The risks of a changing climate, health and safety, and our dependence on nature echoed in one form or another in each of the annual forecasts that followed.

While looking out a year won’t tell you what comes next, the act of considering annually what lies ahead shows that if you have a long enough horizon, the ESG risks of today can end up changing the risk profile for investors tomorrow.

Each of these trends is shaping society. Together they hint at the risks and opportunities that may exert a pull on investment portfolios, and the forces that investors may be confronting, in the years and decades to come.


2022 ESG Trends Video

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2022 ESG Trends to Watch

Over the last decade, ESG has gone from fringe to mainstream. Investors and companies have seen increased regulation, demands for transparency and a quest for standards.

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2022 ESG Trends Introduction Part 2

ESG Trends to Watch for 2022

Here are some of the ESG trends we see impacting investors and companies in the coming year. They range from evolving regulation and the receding of greenwashing, to the intensifying push for change in how the planet produces energy and the critical role of natural capital. Others look at lessons learned (or not) from the pandemic, and the latest twists in the enduring challenge of global inequality.

Climate as First Among Equals

Climate is eclipsing governance and social issues at the top of the ESG agenda, reflecting both the existential threat of global temperature rise and the race against time to rein it in.


Climate As First Among Equals

The New ‘Amazon Effect:’ Corporates Pushing Corporates for Net-Zero Supply Chains

As the world’s big companies work to go net zero, downward emissions pressure may become as familiar to suppliers as downward price pressure.
Private-Company Emissions Under Public Scrutiny

Critics charge that privately-held companies are an opaque refuge for carbon-intense assets. But the jury is out because private equity funds aren’t saying.
The Coal Conundrum: Rethinking Divestment

If the goal is a net-zero portfolio, divesting may seem the optimal path, especially for coal. But it may hardly advance us toward the goal of a net-zero economy.
No Planet B: Financing Climate Adaptation

There’s no escaping the need for projects that help us adapt to a changing climate. Bonds issued to pay for them could greatly expand the green bond market.

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The Mainstreaming of ESG

ESG investing has become a prevailing part of investing. The year ahead will reflect it.


The Mainstreaming of ESG

Greenwashing Recedes as Common ESG Language Emerges

As ESG’s star rises, so do questions about its credibility. The good news? An emerging common vocabulary that should aid transparency and clarify choice.
Regulation at a Crossroads: Convergence or Fragmentation?

While we see convergence on some areas of ESG regulations and standards, there are signs of further fragmentation, driven by differing regional priorities.
Putting ESG Ratings in Their Rightful Place

Regulation and market forces could encourage codes of conduct for constructing ESG ratings, making clear what they capture — and what they don’t.

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Emerging Risks and Opportunities

What looming issues of today might become the systemic risks of tomorrow?


Emerging Risks And Opportunities

Coffee vs Burgers? Biodiversity and The Future of Food

If we don’t drastically change food production and eating habits, climate change and biodiversity loss will change them for us.
Bacteria Rising: Another Health Crisis Looms

Only major investment in new antibiotics and large reductions in quotidian use may keep millions per year from dying of treatable bacterial infections by 2050.
Just Transition: Finding the Nexus of Need and Investability

Efforts to stem climate risk are unlikely to succeed if we leave behind the most vulnerable populations. Are there areas where “need” and “investability” overlap?

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