US. Can ESG help make NJ’s pension-fund investments more ethical?

Some states are using ESG factors – environmental, social, and governance – to evaluate investments in companies. Will New Jersey follow suit?

The federal government’s inaction on issues like climate change and gun violence has led elected officials in New York City, California, and other places to start using public-employee pension funds to exert more influence, including by pulling back investments in oil companies and gun manufacturers.

That hasn’t been the case so far in New Jersey, but policymakers for the state’s $77.5 billion public-employee pension system are now looking into whether it makes sense to start considering an investing approach known as “ESG” that looks at more than just the immediate bottom line.

Read More: NJ Spotlight Newsletters