Responsible Investment Guide for the Private Equity and Venture Capital Sector in Spain (SpainCap (ex-ASCRI))

Summary

• 84% of surveyed private equity and venture capital entities operating in Spain consider ESG issues in their management and investment decisions.p.6
• 75% of surveyed entities in the Spanish market maintain a formal Responsible Investment Policy.p.6
• 56% of Spanish private equity and venture capital firms account for UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their investment strategy.p.20
• Only 14% of Spanish firms maintain dedicated ESG teams compared to 35% globally.p.19
• While 88% of global firms possess an ESG performance monitoring system for their portfolios, only 28% of firms in Spain have implemented one.p.19
• UNCTAD estimates that $12 trillion annually will be required between 2015 and 2030 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.p.12

Key insights

1. European regulation and evolving stakeholder demands are making non-financial ESG criteria essential for long-term private equity value creation.p.6
2. A substantial gap exists in Spain between high managerial concern for topics like human rights (72%) and concrete actions implemented to manage them (16%).p.19
3. Cybersecurity and data protection represent the area with the highest rate of active management implementation among Spanish firms.p.19
4. ESG procedural integration is most prevalent during post-acquisition (55%) and initial investment (52%), but lags significantly during divestment (39%).p.18
5. UNPRI signatories have expanded to over 2,300 institutions worldwide, underscoring the global adoption of structured responsible investment principles.p.14
6. Performing ESG vendor due diligence 6 months to 1 year prior to divestment enables managers to capture unfulfilled ESG potential and demonstrate impact to prospective buyers.p.40