17 November 2011
Venture capital and private equity firms' views of sustainability issues have transformed dramatically over the past two years. 'Evolving views of sustainability' - a report produced by the BVCA Research team - details findings from a survey of around 80 senior professionals in private equity and venture capital, and compares the results with a previous survey from 2009. Both attitudes and practices regarding sustainability and environment, social and governance (ESG) issues have changed substantially over the past two years.
Key findings include:
• Private equity and venture capital professionals increasingly recognise that sustainability makes a company more attractive to investors, and can increase the long-term value of investee companies.
• Over 60% of private equity and venture capital firms surveyed now have ESG policies and/or principles in place within their firms, up from just 24% in 2009.
• Although progress has been made in embedding sustainability within private equity and venture capital houses and their investee companies, further progress is needed. In particular, regular reporting and communication of ESG activities remains sparse.
November 2011
Download: Evolving views of sustainability in private equity and venture capital
