Darius McDermott: Why investors must go the extra mile on ESG

If you asked me before the 2007 credit crunch whether Environmental, Sustainable and Governance (ESG) funds would become a core holding for mainstream investors, I would have probably argued they only excelled when mid and small-caps outperformed larger companies, which often failed to meet entry requirements. Back then, considerably fewer funds fell under the pure ESG banner and the belief was you were sacrificing performance to invest in them as an exclusionary screen that simply eliminated a number of potential candidates in these portfolios. Today, everything has changed dramatica...