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APRIL 26, 2022


A FUTURE EU SOCIAL TAXONOMY: ADDRESSING RISING FOCUS ON SOCIAL ISSUES


Solene Chataigne and Jimmy Greer
Moody's ESG Solutions
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SUMMARY

In recent years, the critical role that common definitions can play in
facilitating social investment has become increasingly apparent. Myriad factors
are propelling the need for greater standardization: from increased investor
appetite for social bonds and combating social washing, to ensuring a “just
transition” that minimizes negative consequences on affected workers, consumers
and communities.

On 28 February 2022, the Platform on Sustainable Finance (PSF), an expert group
advising the European Commission on the development of its sustainable finance
agenda and the future of the EU Taxonomy, published its final recommendations on
the development of a social taxonomy.  This report, along with the
recommendations to extend the Environmental Taxonomy to significantly harmful,
intermediate performance and low environmental impact activities published by
the PSF on 29 March 2022, provide some ways forward for what the EU Taxonomy
could look like in the coming years.

The PSF proposes a detailed framework centered around social objectives,
building on the existing environmental taxonomy’s structure (known as the EU
Taxonomy). The proposed framework is supported by a Do No Significant Harm
(DNSH) principle and minimum environmental safeguards. Importantly, the PSF
recognizes the complexity of operationalizing a social taxonomy and developing
quantifiable criteria to determine the substantial contribution of an activity
to a social objective, and social DNSH criteria, and underlines that more work
is needed in these areas. In light of these complexities, and given the
expectation that a social taxonomy likely will not be translated into
legislative action in the near-term, the PSF encourages practitioners to move
forward in developing market-led social taxonomies.

In our view, the proposed social taxonomy can have a positive impact on ESG
investing and sustainable finance markets in Europe. It has the potential to
further promote investment flows into social financing and strengthen market
appreciation of the linkages between social and environmental factors.

PLANS FOR A SOCIAL TAXONOMY ARE AN IMPORTANT BUILD-OUT OF THE EU’S ECONOMY-WIDE
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM OF SUSTAINABLE ACTIVITIES

As part of its Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy, the European Commission
proposes to expand the scope of its existing EU Taxonomy to incorporate social
factors. Plans for a social taxonomy are a logical, though challenging, next
step in the development of the EU’s economy-wide classification system of
sustainable activities.

The Covid-19 pandemic and recent cost of living issues have further highlighted
the importance of social risk evaluation. Moody’s ESG Solutions’ Controversy
Risk Assessment research found a 94% increase in social controversies in 2021
compared to 2020. Our data finds that the most common social controversies were
linked to:

 * human rights; social & economic development;
 * health & safety;
 * product safety;
 * remuneration;
 * social dialogue;
 * non-discrimination & diversity;
 * societal impact of company's products and services;
 * and working hours.

By guiding companies and investors to reduce their negative social impact,
respect human rights, and provide access to goods and services for communities,
we expect the proposed social taxonomy to facilitate an increase in capital
flows towards socially impactful assets, and to help investors appropriately
price social risk factors into capital allocation decisions. Social financing is
also on the rise. According to Moody’s ESG Solutions' research,  social bond
issuance for 2021 reached $199 billion, up 19% from the $168 billion issued in
2020. While this surge was largely driven by the need to finance
Covid-19-related responses, we expect social bond volumes to total $150 billion
in 2022.

Finally, integrating minimum environmental safeguards into the proposed social
taxonomy would reinforce the interconnectedness of social and environmental
factors. This will be important to ensure that companies and investors support a
fair and just transition as capital is mobilised to realise critical climate
objectives over the next decade. Further coherence between the two domains is
necessary. Moody’s ESG Solutions research into just transition-readiness of the
most exposed sectors found a lack of preparedness for the coming social and
workforce disruption caused by the transition to net zero. Additional guidance
that connects social and environmental factors can support investors. As
highlighted by the LSE Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the
Environment, the ‘Just Transition’ provides a strategic way for investors to
gain exposure to a large cross-section of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
including clean energy (SDG 7), and climate action (SDG 13), while
simultaneously eliminating poverty (SDG 1), reducing inequalities (SDG 10), and
delivering decent work (SDG 8).

HOW WOULD THE SOCIAL TAXONOMY WORK IN PRACTICE?

The PSF’s final recommendations compile their original proposal of ‘vertical’
and ‘horizontal’ social dimensions into three overarching social objectives,
complemented by a list of detailed sub-objectives. The proposed three main
social objectives are:



Importantly, the objectives outlined by the PSF are based on international norms
and principles, aligning with current market best practice. Further
harmonization with international conventions will strengthen efforts to reduce
systemic social harm, including across supply and value chains. Such efforts are
already underway. For example, Moody’s ESG Solutions analyzes and scores up to
30 distinct ESG criteria to generate our ESG scores, with half of these being
social criteria. Each one comprises a defined set of ‘Principles of Actions’
derived from international standards such as the UN Guiding Principles on
Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and
the Fundamental Conventions of the International Labour Organization.

In addition, the PSF proposes three ways for an activity to ‘substantially
contribute’ to the proposed social objectives and sub-objectives: By avoiding
and addressing negative impacts on workers, consumers and communities; by
enhancing the inherent social benefits it provides; and by enabling other
activities to provide social benefits.

However, as the final recommendations stress, for such a proposed framework to
become operational, more work needs to be done, notably on the development of
specific criteria to evaluate the social contribution of goods and services, and
on the DNSH criteria linked to social objectives.

CONCLUSION

While such work will likely prove challenging – as noted by the PSF – if
successfully implemented, it would help filter harmful social practices out of
commercial operations, as well as promoting goods and services generating
positive social contributions.  

Moody’s ESG Solutions’ data stands ready to support market-led efforts to
develop the social Taxonomies of the future. By promoting common standards and
definitions for socially sustainable business behaviours, and empowering
investors to better assess social risks, we will contribute to a more
prosperous, just and sustainable post-pandemic world.

‍

Moody’s ESG Solutions provides insights and analyses on ESG themes and
multi-stakeholder performance, climate-related risks and opportunities and
global sustainable finance trends.

Correction: this Comment was amended to indicate the correct name of the entity
publishing the report: The Platform on Sustainable Finance (PSF).

Contact US
Moody’s ESG Solutions
Understand our comprehensive ESG offering
MESG@moodys.com
Moody’s Investors Service:
Understanding ESG in credit ratings
Brian Cahill
MD, Global Head of MIS ESG
brian.cahill@moodys.com
Media:
Julian Knapp
SVP, Corporate Communications
Sustainability and ESG
julian.knapp@moodys.com
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