MSCI Releases New ESG Platform

According to a news release, the new platform was designed to provide asset managers and owners with an integrated suite of tools to manage research, analysis and compliance tasks across the spectrum of ESG factors. The Impact monitor will allow investors to analyze a company’s significant social and environmental impacts and its ability to manage those impacts, including major ESG controversies and violations of global norms and conventions such as the UN Global Compact and ILO Core Conventions.  

Institutional investors can monitor new controversies and violations using the ESG Alert functionality of the platform. The Impact Monitor currently covers the MSCI World, and the release stated that it will expand to include all companies in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index in September 2011. Small-cap coverage will be added later.  

The MSCI ESG Manager brings together the Impact Monitor with MSCI ESG’s business involvement screening research in one platform; ESG ratings will be added to the Manager later this year. The Manager platform provides a suite of functionalities to address the screening needs of global asset managers and owners. Institutional investors can create restricted lists, download research reports and data and receive email alerts on notable ESG research changes.  

“The launch of MSCI ESG Manager brings together our ESG research and analytics in one integrated platform,” said Remy Briand, Managing Director and Global Head of Index and ESG Research at MSCI, in the announcement. “Our aim is to set standards for the ESG market place by providing products and services to help clients integrate ESG factors into their investment processes, and the new MSCI ESG Manager provides an easy and convenient way to do this.”