iShares JP Morgan USD Em Mkts Bd ETF has an average Morningstar Sustainability Rating of 3 globes, indicating that the ESG risk of holdings in its portfolio is similar to that of its peers in the Emerging Markets Fixed Income category. Funds with 4 or 5 globes tend to hold securities that are less exposed to ESG risk. ESG risk measures the degree to which material environmental, social, and governance issues, such as climate change, biodiversity, human capital, as well as bribery and corruption, could affect valuations. ESG risk differs from impact, which is about driving positive environmental and social outcomes for society’s benefit.
One potential issue for a sustainability-focused investor is that iShares JP Morgan USD Em Mkts Bd ETF doesn’t have an ESG-focused mandate. Funds with an ESG-focused mandate would have a higher probability to drive positive ESG outcomes. An ESG issue worthy of special attention is iShares JP Morgan USD Em Mkts Bd ETF's carbon risk exposure. The fund’s asset-weighted Carbon Risk Score of 35.1 is classed as high. Investee companies of this portfolio are therefore positioned to fare poorly in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Investments with high carbon risk classification will likely be disadvantaged in the transition to net zero, while those with low or negligible carbon risk may fare better. Currently, the fund has 56.9% involvement in fossil fuels, which is high in both absolute and relative terms. The fossil fuel involvement of funds in the same Emerging Markets Bond category averages 37.5%. Companies are considered involved in fossil fuels if they derive at least 5% of their revenue from thermal coal, oil, and gas. The fund has extremely high exposure (40.17%) to companies with high or severe controversies. From bribery and corruption to workplace discrimination and environmental incidents, controversies are incidents that have a negative impact on stakeholders or the environment, which create some degree of financial risk for the company. Severe and high controversies can have significant financial repercussions, ranging from legal penalties to consumer boycotts. In addition, they can damage the reputation of both companies themselves and their shareholders.
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