

Sustainability Now
MSCI ESG Research LLC
News and investment research brought to you weekly covering major market trends and new research insights. With topics ranging from climate impact on investment portfolios, corporate actions, trending investment topics, and emerging sustainability issues, hosts Mike Disabato and Bentley Kaplan of MSCI ESG Research walk through the latest news and research that is top of mind for the week.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 24, 2020 • 21min
The ESG Weekly: Banks and recessions, Bayer calls a virtual meeting, and COVID‐19 is spreading in Japan
In the last recession, Banks were the villains but now they are the conduit through which governments are providing credit lifelines, we discussed who will survive. Then we discussed the decision by the German government to allow Bayer to call a virtual Annual General Meeting aka the annual shareholder gathering, which might mean an erosion of shareholder rights. And lastly we heard how the Government of Japan is dealing with the COVID pandemic.

Apr 21, 2020 • 13min
ESG Spotlight: Understanding indexes and ESG as COVID‐19 tightens the screws
Skeptics and converts alike are watching how ESG performs under the pressure of COVID‐19. We review the evolution of ESG data in index construction and possible ways to assess its performance through a pandemic.

Apr 17, 2020 • 19min
The ESG Weekly: COVID‐19 in private prisons, companies troubled in France, and investor sentiments on COVID
The first COVID‐19 deaths were recorded in a privately run prison this week, we discuss what this means for the future of the industry and what it means for investors in companies with essential but precarious workforces; then we begin our new series on how investors will be affected by different regions' response to COVID; afterward Linda‐Eling Lee, our head of ESG Research, joins us to discuss "The Investor Statement on Coronavirus Response." .

Apr 10, 2020 • 19min
The ESG Weekly: Carbon emissions and pandemics, then we discuss how drugs are rushed forward
During a global pandemic, carbon emissions decrease along with the economy and everything else, we discuss if it is a sustained decline or a respite; then we have a short take on what drugs are being pushed forward to fight COVID‐19 and what happens when drugs are used for purposes different than the drug marker's original intention.

Apr 7, 2020 • 24min
Re-valuing real estate: investing in the eye of the hurricane
In this long‐form episode of ESG Now, we looked at sustainable real estate ‐ how the greening of the property portfolio will move from a nice‐to‐have reputation‐booster to an imperative in the face of a looming "brown discount" if real estate investors don't kick start their journey to zero carbon.

Apr 3, 2020 • 22min
The ESG Weekly: How are companies considering ESG factors during the coronavirus pandemic?
Companies are making drastic moves in an effort to survive as the economy comes to a grinding halt ‐ the market gets new rules, people get laid off, people get put at risk for a job, and alcohol companies save the day. We answer how you can use ESG to understand these complicated times.

Mar 27, 2020 • 18min
The ESG Weekly: Can bonds save us from the coronavirus? And old folks on boards
Private companies are issuing coronavirus bonds in China in hopes to use the proceeds to fight the spread of the virus. But wait, it's only 10% of the bond's proceeds? And what is a coronavirus bond anyway? Then we discuss what happens when a director on a company board becomes incapacitated and why that is now a serious problem for many companies because of the spread of COVID.

Mar 20, 2020 • 20min
The ESG Weekly: Industries look to survive, adapt or capitalize as the Coronavirus marches on
Airlines grit their teeth for now, but when the fog clears, labor practices may help some rise up faster than others. And for food retail and restaurant companies, adaptability is the name of the game as customers hunker down.

Mar 13, 2020 • 18min
The ESG Weekly: COVID‐2019 is a bellwether for investors on structural risks in companies, and the oil price wars get weirder
What the novel coronavirus 2019 can tell us about workforces around the world and the risks unheeded by some companies. And then we discuss how the price wars are different than ever before. This week, we talk to the experts about catastrophe and future risks.

Mar 6, 2020 • 21min
The ESG Weekly: Drug shortages and the coronavirus, from whence your drugs came
The market is freaking out about the coronavirus because it is everywhere but Antarctica, and now everyday medicine is becoming scarce because of supply chain disruptions. But what is a drug supply chain? And why do patients and investors need to worry about vitamin and antibiotic shortages due to disruptions in India and China? We talk to the experts about supply chains and disasters.