Sustainability Now

South Korea’s government has proposed a change to laws governing working hours. We look at why the proposal has not been well received by key stakeholders and what it could mean for how companies manage their workforces in future. And then we look at how shareholders’ approach to climate engagement might be changing, but also staying the same. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guests: SK Kim...

ESG has always been different things to different people. But some of its newest critics suggest that ESG investing is being used to impose liberal ideologies on companies, their investors and their employees. We take a closer look at this backlash in the US, including proposed legislation. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Meggin Eastman, Head of New ESG Research Solutions, MSCI ESG...

A Japanese publishing company allegedly bribed an Olympic committee member to become an official sponsor of the Tokyo Games. As Kadokawa Corp picks up the pieces, we ask what governance factors may have led to this point. And then we look at why doing the “right thing” by sourcing slavery-free cocoa is becoming a regulatory imperative, even for ice cream makers. Host : Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Res...

The derailment of a train carrying possibly hazardous materials near East Palestine, Ohio on February 3 has prompted environmental concerns and chemical fears for residents. They have returned home but even as state officials work to reassure them, many remained concerned. The curious thing about all this is Norfolk Southern, the company that operated the train, did not have to label the rail cars...

There have been over 70,000 people laid off from their jobs in the tech industry – an amount unseen since the dot.com bubble burst. Layoffs are an inevitable part of a capitalist system and, so, come with the territory for companies. But what is not inevitable is the reaction the surviving employees have to seeing their friends and colleagues let go: will they be angry at the company they still wo...

Gautam Adani, whose empire the Adani Group, was rising along with India’s economy. Then a little known US short seller perhaps aptly named Hindenburg released a report that accused the Group of some pretty damaging business practices. Adani said the report was bogus, the market reached anyway, and now one of the most important companies in India is fighting investor perception. But how did this ha...

The US central bank wants climate data from the country’s “big six” banks. It’s a telling shift and one that is echoed across several jurisdictions. We look at what this means for both banks and their investors. Then we jump into the mosh pit of ticket sales to figure out why Live Nation and Ticketmaster keep landing in the headlines. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Carrie Wang, Si...

What if there is a water utility that saves a city millions of gallons worth of water a day, but also increases its carbon emissions by a large amount? What if a company makes a product that saves people, but it allegedly uses forced labor to do so? Do you avoid these companies and products? Are you a follower of the Ethics of Ambiguity in that the means of production is the same as the ends? In t...

After energy prices surged, oil and gas companies reported record profits in 2022. We discuss where this profit bonanza will end up and whether any of it will help the energy industry transition away from fossil fuels. Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Antonios Panagiotopoulos, MSCI ESG Research

As drought is followed by flood, there is renewed talk of how gene-editing techniques can be used to shield our agricultural system against the ravages of climate change. Recently, seed companies have turned to the targeted genome modification of plants using methods like Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats or CRISPR for short. We discuss what companies are involved in using...

As the biodiversity focused COP15 continues in Montreal, we discuss how investors and companies have begun to understand the risks caused by biodiversity loss – maybe the most important long-term environmental problem we face. But If biodiversity is so important, why has climate change been the favorite child in the ESG space? And why has it taken a bit longer for the investment community to exami...

An audio exploration of our latest annual trend report on the ESG trends that may shape the environment for investors and companies in the year ahead. We discuss new digital policies in the EU, EU and China maybe embracing GMOs, lab grown commodities like pineapple leather(!), new fund regulations, and more! Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research Guests: The MSCI ESG Research Team

As COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh winds down, we talk to Oliver Marchand about his impressions from the conference. While staving off the worst effects of climate change is definitely getting harder, we also find some reasons for hope. Then we review an updated rule that is looking to clamp down on methane emissions from oil and gas wells in the US. The document is 504 pages long, but we promise a brief...

Glencore admitted to bribery in five African countries between 2011 and 2016. A £276 million payment ordered by a UK court highlights the financial risks of bribery. We take a look at the company’s broader ESG risks and how its operations create positive and negative externalities. And then, with COP27 in full swing, we walk through how climate change could affect the insurance industry. Host: Ben...

One well-worn critique of ESG investing is that some companies with a high rating aren’t actually making the world a better place. We break down this conflation of ESG impact with financial risk by looking at the different sides of J&J and Nestle. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Julia Giguere-Morello & Cole Martin, MSCI ESG Research

There’s much more to Tesla than electric vehicles. We tackle some apparent contradictions by looking at the company through four lenses: financial risk, environmental and social impact, climate risk and climate impact. And then, the rights of local communities prove to be a stumbling block for another Australian extractives company. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Yu Ishihara &...

What is ESG for? Why aren’t ESG ratings correlated between ratings providers? Is greenwashing a problem in the industry? Is ESG a scam? This week we define, in our words, what ESG investing actually is, and address some of the criticisms against the industry. Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Meggin Thwing Eastman, MSCI ESG Research

What does a board do if an executive bites someone on the nose? What about if they use corporate resources to stalk and intimate a blogger? What if an allegation against an executive is more serious and criminal chargers are brought against them? We break down what a company’s board of directors can do in these dastardly situations of executive misconduct, and what sort of structures might be usef...

Farming fish and shrimp might be a much-needed solution to feed a growing population. But it’s not without risks – both regulators and investors will be rooting for more sustainable practices. And as the SEC considers mandatory climate reporting, we take a look at its recent letter to a manufacturer of adventure vehicles. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Mike Disabato and Helen Marl...

It is climate week in New York city! For this episode we bring you clips from our live panel called Infrastructure finance for the energy transition and climate adaptation. The show is curated by host, Mike Disabato, but the content is all from the live show. The panel was on how might the new U.S. climate law supercharge America’s energy transition; and what mechanism can help to close the gap gl...

A labor dispute in the freight rail industry that brought the US to the brink of a potential economic catastrophe was averted this week, as unions and rail companies came to an agreement. One of the main reasons for the labor dispute was a newish system the rail industry was using that they claim maintained service while using fewer resources. We discussed why this new system is a paradigm for the...

Not many industries are as important as the automobile industry is to developed economies (some say it is the most important). At the moment, it is going through a deep structural change as it shifts toward electric vehicles and the industry works to lower its emissions. In this episode, we discuss what the biggest changes the auto industry has made so far in 2022 and where it may to go. Host: Mik...

Water levels in key rivers are at historic lows which is creating havoc for our global economies. We use our climate risk models to assess which companies are most at risk and understand what the continued drought means for the smooth running of our economy and our society. Then, we assess the ESG components of the recently passed Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for A...

Mining for Lithium usually calls for large quantities of water or fossil fuel. But an intriguing venture in the Rhine Valley is looking to flip that idea on its head. And for the UK, an ambitious green building standard will see new homes a lot leaner, but a lot more comfortable too.  Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Kuldeep Yadav & Mark Bessoudo, MSCI ESG Research

A massive provision called the Inflation Reduction Act was passed in the US Senate on August 7 and is making its way to US President Biden. If signed into law, it hails as one of the largest climates, health care and tax bills ever passed in the US. We discussed some of the most impactful provisions in the climate and energy security provision of act through an ESG lens. We will discuss the change...