Coming Up: Mergers & Acquisitions Will Honor PE Innovators in ESG

Limited partners are pushing private equity firms to integrate environmental, social and governance issues into their investment programs, but most PE firms are still in the early stages of figuring out how to factor in ESG. The Institutional Limited Partners Association is playing an important role. “ILPA is working to align both LPs and GPs through resources that will move the industry forward,” says the organization’s website. To that end, the group recently introduced an ESG Assessment Framework, designed to help LPs: evaluate and benchmark GP responses to due diligence efforts; inform goal-setting conversations with GPs; and measure ESG integration progress over time. For more on the framework, see senior reporter Brandon Zero’s recent column. Mergers & Acquisitions is also playing a role in helping PE firms navigate ESG goals. In our November/December issue of the magazine, we will recognize the 2021 PE Innovators in ESG. This inaugural list will honor the PE firms that are pioneers in integrating ESG considerations into their investment strategies. We will soon be announcing a Call for Nominations.