Insights

All investing has impact. Here we share some insights about how and why.

Consumers Reduce, Reuse & Recycle; EPR Programs Get Producers Involved
ESG

Consumers Reduce, Reuse & Recycle; EPR Programs Get Producers Involved

You are no doubt familiar with the choice between carrots and sticks (remember, these are metaphors, except for horses). In other words, when trying to bring about or prevent a particular behavior we can choose between rewards or penalties. Both approaches can work, although usually imperfectly, even when the potential reward or punishment is substantial

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The Cost of Bad ESG Data
ESG

The Cost of Bad ESG Data

Ranging from missed opportunities to potentially significant harms, the pitfalls of unreliable ESG data present an unacceptable risk. The market has dictated that environmental, social, and governance (ESG), or sustainability, is more than just a sales tool or talking point. Being responsive to ESG issues fosters an environment of good corporate stewardship and is paramount

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Silos are for grain – E, S, and G are not separate issues
ESG

Silos are for grain – E, S, and G are not separate issues

When making commitments to reducing their carbon footprints, reducing waste, recycling more, and pursuing other environmentally-friendly initiatives, companies must consider the financial implications for the business. Good news: many analyses show that these efforts, even ones that require a cash outlay, typically save money over time by reducing costs going forward (see our article on

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Wealth Management & ESG Disclosure Requirements
ESG

Wealth Management & ESG Disclosure Requirements

Early last year, we posted a short article titled, “ESG and Wealth Management – Taking Off Or Stalled?” We think it’s already time to revisit the topic. First, let’s state a key underlying assumption that is not necessarily embraced across the entire wealth management space:  incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into the investment

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ESG Conflicts - What Would Adam Smith Say
ESG

ESG Conflicts? What Would Adam Smith Say?

A respected idea in economics, known as the “universal ownership theory,” states that some actions that could maximize value for an individual company may not be optimal for its shareholders. Huh? Stick with us – we’ll explain, and show why this is relevant in the ESG arena. The whole is different than the sum of

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health care
ESG

The Health Care Sector – Taking Care of ESG Issues?

Our moms taught us (yours probably did too) that nothing matters more than our health. Access to health care is something we deeply appreciate (and many of us take for granted). We are grateful for health care professionals and the facilities where they take care of us, the research professionals that develop and produce medicines

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Few things last forever—unfortunately, plastic comes close
Responsible Investing

Few things last forever—unfortunately, plastic comes close

There’s nothing like a home-cooked meal. Like so many people, we aim for that. But hectic schedules and/or lack of energy to plan, shop, and cook lead us to grab take-out, order delivery, or pick up a roasted chicken from the market, and fairly often. That means bringing home big plastic containers, along with the

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Return on Sustainability Investing
ESG

Return on Sustainability Investing

When deciding whether to pursue a project, a company’s CEO and CFO are likely to ask, “what’s the expected return on investment?” (Note: to head off the emails that statement might generate, we acknowledge that the preferred approach is to compute a project’s net present value, but we’ll leave it to corporate finance textbooks to

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Employee Well-being and the Bottom Line
ESG

Employee Well-being and the Bottom Line

Workplace stress is not a new phenomenon. The term “stress” (borrowed from physics) was first applied to humans in the 1920s, and the American Institute of Stress developed its Workplace Stress Scale in 1978. Post-pandemic, there are new aspects to workplace stress for employers to consider. For example, “hybrid workplace anxiety” (we think we just

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It’s Not Hard to Find Good News About Sustainability
sustainability

It’s Not Hard to Find Good News About Sustainability

Let’s face it – although sustainable investing has gained global recognition and support over the past decade, for some people the ESG glass remains half-empty. That’s not because of politics – for the most part, investors around the world understand that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues matter because they can affect companies’ bottom line,

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Green Bonds – What They Do, and Evidence from Academia
ESG

Green Bonds – What They Do, and Evidence from Academia

Governments and corporations issue green bonds to fund projects with positive environmental impacts, such as developing renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, controlling pollution, providing clean transportation, constructing or retrofitting green buildings, improving wastewater management, and supporting climate change adaption. According to the Climate Bonds Initiative, annual issuance of green bonds more than tripled in the

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The Relationship between ESG and Bonds – A Quick Tour
ESG

The Relationship between ESG and Bonds – A Quick Tour

The basic premise of incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into an investment analysis is that an investment’s value can be affected (positively or negatively) by those factors. There are many reasons this makes sense, across all three pillars of E, S, and G, and volumes have been written on the topic. Just to

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How can we help?

We work with all types of investment firms, corporations and fintech platforms around the world. Find out how OWL can meet your need for ESG data and analytics today.