Alcoholic beverage companies are trying to navigate through a changing world, one where tastes are evolving, and resources are getting scarcer. In this episode, delve into the significant challenges and innovative strategies the alcoholic beverage industry is employing to combat this shift in drinking trends.

Host: Michael Disabato, MSCI ESG Research

Guest: Cole Martin, MSCI ESG Research

Everyone is talking about AI, but on today’s episode we focus on the technology’s potential to disrupt health care. Then, we switch things up to look at how wildfires are exacerbating physical, legal and financial risks for electric utilities in the U.S. 

Host: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI ESG Research
Guests: Namita Nair & Mathew Lee, MSCI ESG Research

Coal still makes up a big cut of China’s energy mix. But the country’s growth in renewables is undeniable. As climate targets are laid down and climate change accelerates, figuring out China’s emissions trajectory is tricky. And that’s OK – we love a tricky discussion. 

Host: SK Kim, MSCI ESG Research
Guests: Cody Dong & Siyao He, MSCI ESG Research

For some investors, having a climate-savvy director on a company’s board may seem like a non-negotiable. But data from some of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters shows that successful climate governance is complex and may require more than pinning all your hopes on a climate superstar. 

Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research
Guest: Florian Sommer, MSCI ESG Research

This week we provide an update to our March 2022 episode titled Children in the Cocoa Field that explored the growing problem of child labor in cocoa harvesting. And the attempt by Nestlé to use money and enhanced mapping technology to combat its prevalence. It sounds bleak, but it was a great story about how technology is allowing for better transparency in our world's supply chain.

 Host: Michael Disabato, MSCI ESG Research

Guest: Cole Martin, MSCI ESG Research

Plastic is an inescapable reality of the modern world. But trading off its convenience and versatility for environmental and health impacts is getting harder. Companies that make or rely on plastic are being pushed to improve recyclability and reuse. And as tempting as it is to believe everything you read on a label, it looks like the road to a genuine circular economy is still going to be a little bumpy.

Host: Margarita Grabert, MSCI ESG Research
Guest: Sam Block, MSCI ESG Research

The SEC’s climate disclosure rule is finally here. It’s been a journey, one akin to a film drama full of plot twists, cliff hangers and edge of the seat moments. So in honor of the drama, this week we do a film review of sorts on this wide reaching regulation - going into the plot, the actors involved, and how the industry is likely to be affected by it. 

 Host: Michael Disabato, MSCI ESG Research

Guest: Zohir Uddin, MSCI Government and Regulatory Affairs; Mathew Lee, MSCI ESG Research

We have been reporting on board’s gender diversity since 2009, and while progress has undoubtedly been made, the road ahead is still long. Linda-Eling Lee from MSCI’s Sustainability Institute tells us why we started compiling this report in the first place, and how it has managed to remain relevant in 2024. Then, our colleague Christina Milhomem tells us what the numbers say- what has or hasn’t changed, which regulations are coming our way- and why investors should think of diversity as an indicator of management oversight. 

Host: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI ESG Research

Guest: Linda-Eling Lee, MSCI Sustainability Institute; Christina Milhomem, MSCI ESG Research

ExxonMobil filed a legal complaint against two of its own shareholders, who were hoping to put a climate-related proposal to a vote at the company’s upcoming AGM. We discuss why it’s a decision that could have consequences for the wider shareholder community and the companies they invest in.  

Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research
Guest: Harlan Tufford, MSCI ESG Research

Valentines day is replete with marketing by luxury brands attempting to capture the eyes of anxious lovers wanting to do right by their partners during the holiday. But what can you know about the product you’re buying from a luxury company? Can you know where its raw materials are sourced? Or where that material is produced? And who’re running these luxurious companies? We discuss all this and more on this week’s episode of ESG now.

Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research

Guest: Liz Houston, MSCI ESG Research

The stakes on data protection and privacy are only getting higher. Hacks, breaches and data leaks are becoming bugbears of the modern corporate world. Insurers offer products for cyber-related incidents, but in a complex, evolving risk landscape, there are a lot of asterisks. We take a look at the current cyber insurance market, and how insurers are de-risking their positions through cyber catastrophe bonds. 

Host: Margarita Grabert, MSCI ESG Research
Guest: Federico Darakdjian, MSCI ESG Research