ESG ratings website launched

The new site, www.corporatemonitor.com.au, will also offer advisers who registered with Corporate Monitor with short-form company reports that have been formatted with the needs of advisers in mind, the company said in a statement.

Duncan Paterson, chief of executive of Corporate Monitor's parent company, CAER, said: "Financial advisers play a critical role in terms of informing retail investors about the risks and benefits of responsible and ethical investment.

"By making it easier for advisers to access this kind of information, we hope to grow the pool of responsible investment more broadly, removing impediments faced by consumers who want to invest responsibly."

On the new website, advisers will have access to E, S and G ratings for companies. In addition, they can receive notifications or download summarised PDF files of company involvement in "sin-type activities" as well as involvement in the fossil fuel sector, the statement said.

Simon O'Connor, chief executive for the Responsible Investment Association Australasia, said access to this type of information is important for advisers to deliver good services.

"With 70 per cent of Australians expecting that their retirement savings are investing responsibly and avoiding harmful investments, there is a clear opportunity for financial advisers to differentiate themselves by having deep knowledge on these issues that matter," he said.

"Access to good ESG and ethical information – across matters such as fossil fuel exposure – will be important for advisers to tap this surging client interest in ethical and responsible investing."