This webinar occurred on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, from 1:00 -2:00 p.m. EST

View Webinar Recording

There is a global trend toward increased interest in non-financial information on the part of investment professionals. The question we continue to seek to answer is whether responsible investment (environmental, social and governance – ESG) factors, such as social equity, fair contractor policies, environmental impact, and carbon footprint, are influencing investor decisions in real estate.

Research does reflect an expanding role of ESG factors in the decision making of investors around the world. But how much? And how are these factors being measured? Climate change risks are rigorously examined by insurance companies around the world. Renewable energy is increasingly financed by multinational corporations, banks, pension funds, and utilities for economic reasons – not environmental ones. When the head of the world’s largest investment manager writes to the CEOs of public companies to extoll the virtues of strong ESG performance and its effect on valuation, people take notice.

During this one-hour webinar, we talked with real estate investment managers from around the globe to learn if and how they are integrating ESG factors into their decision-making process. What’s the business case for incorporating Responsible Investment guidelines? Are there competitive advantages to incorporating these factors? Is industry going fast or far enough? Is industry steering government action? And what does the future hold? Join us in the discussion.

Panelists:

Rina Lessing, Investment Manager, CalPERS

John Kent, Jr., Real Estate Investment Manager, Blackrock

Michael Brooks, CEO, REALPAC