Companies Test a New Type of ESG Bond With Fewer Restrictions

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Finance chiefs are selling a new type of bond designed to attract socially minded investors that costs less and offers more leeway for companies than other types of sustainable debt

These instruments, known as sustainability-linked bonds, are similar to traditional debt sales—with one major exception: They are usually structured such that companies pay a higher interest rate to investors if they fail to achieve a set of environmental and other goals before the maturity date. Also, the proceeds from these bonds can be used for general purposes, such as paying down existing debt, which sets it apart from other types of green, social and sustainability bonds.

This new type of debt is gaining popularity as companies take advantage of historically low interest rates to shore up cash as they weather the pandemic. Chief financial officers, whose job it is to review their company’s funding tools on a regular basis, are increasingly using new types of debt to demonstrate their social consciousness credentials to investors, and to attract new types of investors.

Sustainability-linked bonds appeal to companies that want to offer ESG bonds with fewer financial restrictions, executives said. Companies issuing sustainability-linked bonds expect lower staffing and administrative costs compared with other types of environmental, social or governance bonds. Investors are able to get more clarity on Novartis’s social commitments through such a bond sale, and the company doesn’t have to expend extra resources to isolate ESG projects, a company spokesman said.

Enel switched from selling green bonds to sustainability-linked bonds last fall because of the financial benefits, including lower administrative costs, said Alberto De Paoli, the company’s CFO. Among those were lower staffing needs, fewer third-party assessments and less rigid rules on spending the money, Mr. De Paoli said.

 

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