Sustainability Now

At MSCI ESG Research, we spend a lot of time collecting information about workplace safety, but as economies start to reopen, we might need to pay attention to how close everyone is to each other while working. And then we discuss why the safety upgrades in green buildings might be the safest option for people during the COVID‐19 pandemic; then we continue our series where we ask our colleagues around the world what its like to live in their region during the coronavirus pandemic.

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.

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.

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." .

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.