Businesses and private equity are acknowledging environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are a driver of value creation. 

This survey explores the views of general partners and limited partners in responsible investment among global private equity firms. This year, 209 firms from 35 countries or territories responded (compared with 162 in 2019). Of these, 198 respondents were general partners and 41 were limited partners (compared with 145 and 38, respectively, in 2019). Some respondents were both general and limited partners. The vast majority (81%) came from Europe.

Key findings:

• 65% of survey respondents have developed a responsible investing or ESG policy and the tools to implement it.
• 72% always screen target companies for ESG risks and opportunities at the pre-acquisition stage.
• 56% discuss ESG as part of the executive board agenda more than once a year.
• 38% have identified United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are relevant at a company portfolio level.