IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v127y2015i2p283-296.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Developing a Sustainability Credit Score System

Author

Listed:
  • Rodrigo Zeidan
  • Claudio Boechat
  • Angela Fleury

Abstract

Within the banking community, the argument about sustainability and profitability tends to be inversely related. Our research suggests this does not need to be strictly the case. We present a credit score system based on sustainability issues, which is used as criteria to improve financial institutions’ lending policies. The Sustainability Credit Score System (SCSS) is based on the analytic hierarchy process methodology. Its first implementation is on the agricultural industry in Brazil. Three different firm development paths are identified: business as usual, sustainable business, and future sustainable business. The following six dimensions are present in the SCSS: economic growth, environmental protection, social progress, socio-economic development, eco-efficiency, and socio-environmental development. The results suggest that sustainability is not inversely related to profit either from a short- or long-term perspective. The SCSS is related to the Equator Principles, but its application is not driven to project financing. It also deals with short- and long-term risks and opportunities, instead of short-term sustainability impacts. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Rodrigo Zeidan & Claudio Boechat & Angela Fleury, 2015. "Developing a Sustainability Credit Score System," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 127(2), pages 283-296, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:127:y:2015:i:2:p:283-296
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-2034-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10551-013-2034-2
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-013-2034-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christopher Wright, 2012. "Global Banks, the Environment, and Human Rights: The Impact of the Equator Principles on Lending Policies and Practices," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 12(1), pages 56-77, February.
    2. Hsiang-Lin Chih & Hsiang-Hsuan Chih & Tzu-Yin Chen, 2010. "On the Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility: International Evidence on the Financial Industry," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 93(1), pages 115-135, April.
    3. Shameek Konar & Mark A. Cohen, 2001. "Does The Market Value Environmental Performance?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(2), pages 281-289, May.
    4. Stefano Herzel & Marco Nicolosi & Cătălin Stărică, 2012. "The cost of sustainability in optimal portfolio decisions," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(3-4), pages 333-349, May.
    5. Leire San-Jose & Jose Retolaza & Jorge Gutierrez-Goiria, 2011. "Are Ethical Banks Different? A Comparative Analysis Using the Radical Affinity Index," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 100(1), pages 151-173, April.
    6. Bert Scholtens, 2009. "Corporate Social Responsibility in the International Banking Industry," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 86(2), pages 159-175, May.
    7. John M. Griffin & Dragon Yongjun Tang, 2012. "Did Subjectivity Play a Role in CDO Credit Ratings?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 67(4), pages 1293-1328, August.
    8. J.P. Gond & A. El Akremi & J. Igalens & V. Swaen, 2011. "A corporate social responsibility," Post-Print hal-00826426, HAL.
    9. Olaf Weber, 2005. "Sustainability benchmarking of European banks and financial service organizations," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(2), pages 73-87, June.
    10. Olaf Weber & Roland W. Scholz & Georg Michalik, 2010. "Incorporating sustainability criteria into credit risk management," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(1), pages 39-50, January.
    11. Benjamin Richardson, 2009. "Keeping Ethical Investment Ethical: Regulatory Issues for Investing for Sustainability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 87(4), pages 555-572, July.
    12. El Ghoul, Sadok & Guedhami, Omrane & Kwok, Chuck C.Y. & Mishra, Dev R., 2011. "Does corporate social responsibility affect the cost of capital?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 2388-2406, September.
    13. Jones, David & Mingo, John, 1999. "Credit risk modeling and internal capital allocation processes: implications for a models-based regulatory bank capital standard," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 79-108, March.
    14. Grunert, Jens & Norden, Lars & Weber, Martin, 2005. "The role of non-financial factors in internal credit ratings," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 509-531, February.
    15. Goss, Allen & Roberts, Gordon S., 2011. "The impact of corporate social responsibility on the cost of bank loans," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1794-1810, July.
    16. Bert Scholtens, 2006. "Finance as a Driver of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 68(1), pages 19-33, September.
    17. Scholtens, Bert & Dam, Lammertjan, 2007. "Banking on the Equator. Are Banks that Adopted the Equator Principles Different from Non-Adopters?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 1307-1328, August.
    18. Thoumy, Mira & Vachon, Stephan, 2012. "Environmental projects and financial performance: Exploring the impact of project characteristics," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(1), pages 28-34.
    19. Adams, Carol A. & Frost, Geoffrey R., 2008. "Integrating sustainability reporting into management practices," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 288-302.
    20. Nandy, Monomita & Lodh, Suman, 2012. "Do banks value the eco-friendliness of firms in their corporate lending decision? Some empirical evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 83-93.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mirza, Nawazish & Afzal, Ayesha & Umar, Muhammad & Skare, Marinko, 2023. "The impact of green lending on banking performance: Evidence from SME credit portfolios in the BRIC," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 843-850.
    2. Aneta Drab, 2022. "The Impact of ESG Factors on Company Share Prices in the European Energy Sector (Wplyw czynnikow ESG na kursy akcji spolek z sektora energetycznego w Europie)," Research Reports, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, vol. 2(37), pages 4-14.
    3. Banerjee, Rajabrata & Gupta, Kartick & Mudalige, Priyantha, 2020. "Do environmentally sustainable practices lead to financially less constrained firms? International evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Lutfi Abdul Razak & Mansor H. Ibrahim & Adam Ng, 2020. "Which Sustainability Dimensions Affect Credit Risk? Evidence from Corporate and Country-Level Measures," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-22, December.
    5. Pisani, Niccolò & Kourula, Arno & Kolk, Ans & Meijer, Renske, 2017. "How global is international CSR research? Insights and recommendations from a systematic review," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 591-614.
    6. Eliwa, Yasser & Aboud, Ahmed & Saleh, Ahmed, 2021. "ESG practices and the cost of debt: Evidence from EU countries," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Banerjee, Rajabrata & Gupta, Kartick, 2019. "The effect of environmentally sustainable practices on firm R&D: International evidence," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 262-274.
    8. Wellalage, Nirosha Hewa & Kumar, Vijay & Hunjra, Ahmed Imran & Al-Faryan, Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh, 2022. "Environmental performance and firm financing during COVID-19 outbreaks: Evidence from SMEs," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Giuliana Birindelli & Paola Ferretti & Mariantonietta Intonti & Antonia Iannuzzi, 2015. "On the drivers of corporate social responsibility in banks: evidence from an ethical rating model," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 19(2), pages 303-340, May.
    2. Kishore Kumar & Ajai Prakash, 2020. "Managing sustainability in banking: extent of sustainable banking adaptations of banking sector in India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 5199-5217, August.
    3. Kim, Moshe & Surroca, Jordi & Tribó, Josep A., 2014. "Impact of ethical behavior on syndicated loan rates," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 122-144.
    4. Gaganis, Chrysovalantis & Pasiouras, Fotios & Tasiou, Menelaos & Zopounidis, Constantin, 2021. "CISEF: A composite index of social, environmental and financial performance," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 291(1), pages 394-409.
    5. Eliwa, Yasser & Aboud, Ahmed & Saleh, Ahmed, 2021. "ESG practices and the cost of debt: Evidence from EU countries," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    6. Francisco Javier Forcadell & Elisa Aracil, 2017. "European Banks' Reputation for Corporate Social Responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(1), pages 1-14, January.
    7. Theodosios Anagnostopoulos & Antonis Skouloudis & Nadeem Khan & Konstantinos Evangelinos, 2018. "Incorporating Sustainability Considerations into Lending Decisions and the Management of Bad Loans: Evidence from Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-16, December.
    8. Wu, Meng-Wen & Shen, Chung-Hua, 2013. "Corporate social responsibility in the banking industry: Motives and financial performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(9), pages 3529-3547.
    9. Hu Mengze & Li Wei, 2015. "A Comparative Study on Environment Credit Risk Management of Commercial Banks in the Asia‐Pacific Region," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 159-174, March.
    10. Francesco Gangi & Antonio Meles & Eugenio D'Angelo & Lucia Michela Daniele, 2019. "Sustainable development and corporate governance in the financial system: Are environmentally friendly banks less risky?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(3), pages 529-547, May.
    11. Alain Devalle & Simona Fiandrino & Valter Cantino, 2017. "The Linkage between ESG Performance and Credit Ratings: A Firm-Level Perspective Analysis," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(9), pages 1-53, August.
    12. Reyes Samaniego-Medina & Pilar Giraldez-Puig, 2022. "Do Sustainability Risks Affect Credit Ratings? Evidence from European Banks," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 24(61), pages 720-720, August.
    13. Sebastian Eisenbach & Dirk Schiereck & Julian Trillig & Paschen von Flotow, 2014. "Sustainable Project Finance, the Adoption of the Equator Principles and Shareholder Value Effects," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(6), pages 375-394, September.
    14. Ricardo Costa-Climent & Carla Martínez-Climent, 2018. "Sustainable profitability of ethical and conventional banking," Contemporary Economics, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw., vol. 12(4), December.
    15. Olaf Weber, 2012. "Environmental Credit Risk Management in Banks and Financial Service Institutions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(4), pages 248-263, May.
    16. Mete Feridun & Hasan Güngör, 2020. "Climate-Related Prudential Risks in the Banking Sector: A Review of the Emerging Regulatory and Supervisory Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-20, July.
    17. Hoje Jo & Hakkon Kim & Kwangwoo Park, 2015. "Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Firm Performance in the Financial Services Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 257-284, October.
    18. Mirza, Nawazish & Afzal, Ayesha & Umar, Muhammad & Skare, Marinko, 2023. "The impact of green lending on banking performance: Evidence from SME credit portfolios in the BRIC," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 843-850.
    19. Felipe Arias Fogliano de Souza Cunha & Erick Meira & Renato J. Orsato, 2021. "Sustainable finance and investment: Review and research agenda," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 3821-3838, December.
    20. Michał Jurek, 2014. "The genesis and evolution of CSR self-regulation with special refer-ence to the case of financial institutions," Working papers wpaper70, Financialisation, Economy, Society & Sustainable Development (FESSUD) Project.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:127:y:2015:i:2:p:283-296. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.