Once again, the business case for ESG/SDG:
Over the course of a day of conversations with some of the top executives in the nation during last week’s conference — DealBook: Playing for the Long Term — a common refrain was heard, echoing the sentiments of Larry Fink, chief executive of BlackRock, the largest investor in the world with more than $6 trillion. He implored other chief executives in a letter earlier this year to be more thoughtful about their roles in society.
“What’s driving a lot of the change now is millennials,” Mr. Fink said, expanding on the letter. “They are asking more of their companies.”He said he believed that we were at an inflection point.
“I do believe that the demand for E.S.G. is going to transform all investing,” Mr. Fink said, referring to how investors are beginning to meaningfully evaluate companies based, in part, on environmental, social and governance metrics.
“That may be one or five years away from now, but it’s not that far away.”