How Covid Changed the Nature of ESG: A Coming-of-Age Story

Credit: Eva Bee Illustrations In a year that highlighted economic disparities, unequal healthcare access, and the continued impacts of systemic racism, 2020 would be a catalyst for the ESG movement Almost 20 years ago, the United Nations Environmental Programme Initiative established the term ESG in the 2004 UN Global Compact’s report entitled Who Cares Wins. The report conveyed the idea that immersing environmental, social and governance factors in capital markets makes good business sense, results in more sustainable markets and ultimately, better outcomes for societies. Despite this being the first time the term had ever been used, it did not mark the…...