SRI Investing Trends: Cannabis, Palm Oil and New Use Cases

Over the course of 2018, we have identified a number of new and growing trends that we anticipate will continue to be of interest to institutional investors in the coming year. Most prominently, the trend towards legalization of cannabis, notably with the legalization of recreational marijuana use throughout Canada in October, has garnered significant attention. While more and more companies have announced investment in cannabis companies and potential new cannabis-related products, institutional investors, in particular ones that have traditionally screened on issues such as alcohol and tobacco, may be looking to develop a clear policy on this issue. While not a relatively new issue like cannabis, we also see steadily increasing interest in palm oil, as that industry continues to prompt concerns around deforestation and climate change.

The interest we are hearing on cannabis, palm oil and other controversial business activities also represents a larger trend, which is the use of traditional business involvement information in ways that may go beyond a divestment policy. What are the options for institutional investors looking to address these and other issues beyond the traditional screening and exclusions approach? In this webinar, MSCI experts joined by Josh Zinner from the Interfaith Council on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) discuss the latest research and the tools available.

Topics that are covered:

·  What are the emerging screening trends that we expect to grow in adoption during 2019? 

·  What existing issues do we believe will continue to gain traction amongst asset owners and asset managers, including faith based institutions? 

·  How can institutional investors use business involvement data and research beyond screening and exclusions? 

·   What are the most frequently asked questions we receive from our clients and how can we help