From MSCI | December 2011

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2012 ESG Trends to Watch

As governments in major economies begin the process of unwinding the debt cycle of the last twenty years, budget cuts to social safety nets and regulatory agencies mean that consumers will bear a heavier burden of any negative social and environmental impacts arising from corporate mismanagement. Countries and companies alike face new risks surrounding their social license to operate as communities worry about their health, security, and, increasingly, basic social equity. Concerns about the social costs of operations have a compound effect on companies – even as governments make cuts in regulatory agencies and social benefits, the political will to enforce existing regulations will strengthen in reaction to public outcry.

In this context, MSCI’s ESG Research team is focusing on ten emerging trends for 2012, which are likely to affect government and corporate policy, profits, and market sentiments:

- Accounting for Social Value
- Civil Liberties Post Arab Spring
- Accounting for Natural Capital
- Shifting Debate on Climate Change
- Bridging the Gap in Food Safety Infrastructure
- Closing Corporate Tax Havens and Loopholes
- Regulating Shale Gas
- Labor Strife in China
- Conflicting Water Demands
- Broadening Threats to Privacy & Data Security

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