Home - ESG Watch

HOLDING RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT, TO ITS PROMISES.

In the aftermath of the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy dam collapse, the dam builder SK Group saw its ESG score increase, despite UN human rights experts determining that the firm had caused the humanitarian disaster and failed to remedy it.
HOLDING RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT, TO ITS PROMISES.

ESG-labelled investment funds own more than $13 billion worth of shares in companies arming, funding and legitimizing the Myanmar military, despite its history of human rights abuses, including perpetrating a genocide against Rohingya Muslims and violent crackdowns on democracy protesters following the 2021 coup.
HOLDING RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT, TO ITS PROMISES.

ESG-labeled funds routinely invest in mining companies that are facing serious human rights complaints, including related to the forced eviction of local communities to make way for mining operations.

THE ESG PROBLEM

Truly responsible investing could be a powerful driver of corporate responsibility and global good. But most environmental, social and governance (ESG)-focused investment products fail to live up to that promise. In many cases, they are harming, not helping, people and the planet. To fulfill its potential, the ESG investing industry must be held accountable for its real-world impact.

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THE ESG WATCH DATABASE

Contrary to how ESG funds are often marketed, ESG investment routinely flows to companies linked to environmental devastation and egregious human rights abuses.

The ESG Watch database brings these disturbing realities to light by documenting the social and environmental harm that specific companies have caused while reaping the reputational and financial benefits of being listed on prominent ESG indexes.

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27

Companies in the Database

$39.36B

Total USD in ESG Investment going to these companies

By revealing the flaws in mainstream ESG investing and the actors responsible, we aim to spur the reform and regulation that’s needed to ensure ESG investing is truly responsible and aligned with international human rights standards.

FEATURES

THE ROLE OF ESG INDEX PROVIDERS

MSCI and other leading ESG rating firms and index providers are ignoring their human rights responsibilities, with disastrous results.

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CALLING OUT ESG WASHING

Abusive companies are routinely “recognized” for their ESG practices. This “ESG washing” makes it harder to hold them accountable. So we’re calling it out.

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NEWS

Introducing ESG Watch: Holding “responsible” investment to its promises

Inclusive Development International’s new ESG Watch website and company database illustrates how ESG investment routinely flows to companies linked to human rights abuses. Today, Inclusive Development International launched ESG Watch – a company database and website that tracks over $39…

ESG investing giants under scrutiny for fueling rights abuses in Myanmar

MSCI, FTSE Russell and S&P Dow Jones Indices are giants of the “responsible investing” industry, but according to complaints filed with the US, UK and Dutch governments, the firms are violating OECD guidelines for responsible business conduct by helping direct investments labeled “ESG” to do…

Our submission to the UN Working Group regarding ESG investing and human rights

Inclusive Development International has responded to a call for input from the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights as it prepares a report on the topic of “Investors, ESG and Human Rights.” We applaud the Working Group for focusing its attention on the important—though often underappre…

“Responsible investment” is fueling human rights abuses in Myanmar

ESG-labeled funds have over $13B worth of holdings in companies linked to Myanmar’s brutal military regime, a financial investigation reveals. Companies with ties to Myanmar’s military are benefitting from over $13 billion in ESG-labeled investments, according to financial records and other i…

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