Divulgation

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Volkswagen : l’anniversaire d’un scandale !

Bonjour à toutes et à tous, c’est l’anniversaire du scandale Volkswagen aujourd’hui. Une belle occasion de rappeler toutes l’importance d’accorder aux préoccupations extra-financières une attention particulière : « Volkswagen anniversary reminds investors of the value of ESG analysis » (World Finance, Vipul Arora, 14 septembre 2016).

 

This month marks one year since the start of the Volkswagen emissions scandal, when the US Environmental Protection Agency found Volkswagen’s ‘defeat devices’ masked emissions that were 40 times the legal standard of nitrogen oxide, causing smog and poor health conditions.

A year of vehicle recalls, plummeting sales and falling profits followed and Volkswagen has seen 30 percent wiped off its share price. What’s more, the company could face up to $18bn in fines from US regulators – equivalent to the entire Russian budget for hosting the 2018 World Cup. The scandal has been terrible news for Volkswagen and its shareholders.

But should those that got stung have been a little more wary? The Volkswagen scandal was far from unprecedented in the industry and in this particular case analysts had spotted signs of trouble as early as 2014 – when Volkswagen’s response to emissions discrepancies found by a chance test from the International Council on Clean Transportation was to undertake a recall of 500,000 vehicles. Volkswagen’s membership of a collaboration that worked against emissions reducing technology from 1997-2011 was also a red flag for some investors.

To avoid being stung again, investors should view all voluntary recalls as a reason for deeper investigation. But wider than that, the scandal has also helped persuade many investors of the value of taking a closer look at a company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials.

À la prochaine…

Ivan Tchotourian