Recent SEC Enforcement Hints at Looming Crackdown on ESG Claims

A new SEC task force to police corporate environmental, social and governance disclosures is gradually ramping up enforcement, putting companies on notice.

The Securities and Exchange Commission created its Climate and ESG Task Force a year and a half ago. The unit has mostly kept working behind the scenes. But in the last four months, it has helped bring at least three enforcement actions, according to agency records.

Companies that have faced allegations of misleading ESG claims include Bank of New York Mellon Corp., health insurance distributor Benefytt Technologies Inc., and Brazilian mining company Vale S.A.

The SEC is ...