In October 2022, the European central bank (ECB) will start implementing criteria to decarbonize its corporate asset purchases. However, so far, the broad criteria announced would allow the ECB to keep on buying bonds issued by companies that develop new fossil fuel production projects and would only marginally affect other major polluters. To avoid such an outrageous outcome, 12 NGOs sent a letter to the ECB governing council laying out four key recommendations.

In July 2021, the ECB pledged to integrate climate criteria to its corporate asset purchases. A year later, the central bank announced that it would start implementing these criteria in October 2022. 

According to the ECB’s July 2022 statement, these new criteria mean that the share of assets on the Eurosystem’s balance sheet issued by companies with an allegedly “better climate performance” will be increased compared to that by companies with a “poorer climate performance”.  The ECB noted that “better climate performance will be measured with reference to lower greenhouse gas emissions, more ambitious carbon reduction targets and better climate-related disclosures”. 

Therefore, if companies that “perform better” will be favored, the ECB will keep on buying bonds from even the most polluting companies, including companies that are developing new fossil fuel production projects. Instead of being solely compared to others on a set of partial indicators, companies should also be judged based on science-based climate milestones that ensure their activities and plans are not hampering climate mitigation efforts. For example, a company that does not plan to exit coal by 2030 in the EU/OECD and 2040 worldwide may score relatively better than other companies on the set of indicators selected by the ECB – let’s say if it develops sufficient renewable energy to lower its carbon intensity and discloses elements on its emissions – but will always remain incompatible with keeping global warming under 1.5°C.  

Furthermore, companies will be judged on an aggregated “climate” score that blends several criteria that have different environmental implications. For example, the points a company obtains for decent disclosure practices could offset the ones it loses because of very high emissions and a negative environmental impact. It is worth noting that similar types of criteria are already used by the Bank of England (BoE) for its own asset purchases and have proved largely insufficient to decarbonize it.   

For the ECB to implement a meaningful decarbonization framework for its corporate asset purchases, four recommendations must be followed: 

  1. Exclude companies that are especially incompatible with climate goals, starting with coal companies and companies that are developing new fossil fuel production projects. This recommendation aligns with the ones of the recent Call to Action to Ensure Transition to a Net Zero and Nature Positive Economy addressed by 90 CSOs – including Reclaim Finance – to central bankers and regulators worldwide.   
  2. Rebalance the portfolio to prioritize carbon neutrality over market neutrality, thus significantly reducing the portfolio’s carbon footprint. 
  3. Require companies to adopt 1.5°C-aligned transition plans. 
  4. Make sufficient climate disclosure an immediate eligibility requirement.