Can ESG and tech kiss and make up?

With the likes of Amazon and Apple criticised for poor working conditions, and Facebook coming under fire for profiting from users’ data, big tech has long been a conundrum for those who take an environmental, social and governance (ESG) approach to investments, but want exposure to the fastest growing parts of the stock market.

Technology companies’ manufacturing and data-processing centres also pump vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. According to a December report from AINow, the industry will account for as much as 3.6% of global greenhouse emissions in 2020. This is comparable with the aviation industry, and is larger than the total emissions of Japan, the fifth biggest polluter in the world.

Published by John Schaffer in City Wire.