Reforming ESG
Sustainable investment can be revived as a meaningful way to express investor values, hold companies accountable for the harm they may cause, and reward greater corporate respect for labor and human rights.
We believe that investors need to measure and prioritize corporate social performance more rigorously. We envision the creation of a new category of “sustainable values funds,” which would target a discrete set of ethical objectives based on clear and measurable criteria. Such funds would permit legally eligible investors to prioritize their values over the maximization of financial returns.
Publications
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Reimagining Shareholder Advocacy on Environmental and Social Issues: The promise and pitfalls of ‘E&S stewardship’
Our most recent report on ESG written by Michael Goldhaber, highlights how shareholder advocacy ought to focus on achieving real-world impact for the environment and society, rather than settling for low-bar goals or non-binding promises.
Making ESG Real: A Return to Values-Driven Investing
Our most recent report on ESG, written by Michael Goldhaber, explains the historical wrong turn taken by ESG investors and proposes ways to re-prioritize the protection of the environment and society.
Making ESG Work: How Investors Can Help Improve Low-Wage Labor And Ease Income Inequality
Our report explains how outsourcing has reshaped corporate workforces in ways that ESG assessments do not adequately capture and proposes a new approach to addressing this gap.
Putting The ‘S’ In ESG: Measuring Human Rights Performance For Investors
The Center published an in-depth study of 12 leading frameworks for assessing companies’ social practices and impacts. It found that current measurement focuses on what is most convenient rather than most meaningful. Ninety-two percent of measures looked at company governance structures without any attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of those structures.
Press
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Quick Takes
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Teaching Resources
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RFK Compass, June 2023: Applying ESG in the Meat Processing Industry
This exercise focuses on Packers Sanitation Services and Blackstone Core Equity Partners, exploring what accountability measures should be in place to address the exploitation of child labor.