S&P Dow Jones Indices, one of the world’s largest providers of financial market indices, RobecoSAM and Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) have announced the launch of the S&P/TSX 60 ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) index.
The Index is designed to track the performance of the constituent companies of the S&P/TSX 60, Canada’s leading equity benchmark, while taking into account each company’s sustainability performance relative to the corresponding industry-specific standards. RobecoSAM, the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing, evaluates companies’ sustainability profiles using their proprietary assessment methodology.
The S&P/TSX 60 ESG index is designed for market participants who currently use the S&P/TSX 60 and are looking to deepen the scope of their stock analysis to include sustainability criteria. The construction methodology is based on the S&P/TSX 60, while companies’ sustainability profiles are evaluated using the RobecoSAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). Companies are then re- weighted according to their sustainability score, meaning those with a higher score are weighted higher in the S&P/TSX 60 ESG index than in the S&P/TSX 60.
Alka Banerjee, Managing Director of Global Equity Indices, S&P Dow Jones Indices: “We are excited to expand our ESG offering with the launch of the S&P/TSX 60 ESG index. This index provides investors in the Canadian equity market with an objective, investible benchmark against which they can measure their sustainability investment portfolios. With the launch of our latest ESG index, S&P Dow Jones Indices continues to play a leading role in providing investors with the benchmarks needed to gauge the environmental consciousness of some of the world’s most followed companies.”
Guido Giese, PhD, Head of Indices, RobecoSAM: “The launch of the S&P/TSX 60 ESG index marks an important step towards enabling investors in the Canadian equity market to benchmark their portfolios against an index that is grounded in sophisticated ESG information. Expanding our offering is also a response to an overall increasing interest in regional sustainability indices and we are pleased that we can satisfy investor thirst for an investible, regional ESG benchmark.”
Eric Sinclair, President, TMX Datalinx and Group Head of Information Services, TMX Group: “We are very pleased to launch the S&P/TSX 60 ESG index, which recognizes Toronto Stock Exchange issuers for their ESG efforts and performance. As interest in ESG continues to grow, we believe investors should value this index offering.”