Launched in May 1990, the MSCI KLD 400 Social Index is the first Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) index. With the growing mainstream adoption of ESG strategies, many investors seek to hold companies that reflect their values and meet stringent best-in-class criteria for managing their environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities.

The MSCI KLD 400 Social Index is designed to provide exposure to companies with high MSCI ESG Ratings while excluding companies whose products may have negative social or environmental impacts. It consists of 400 companies selected from the MSCI USA IMI Index, which includes large-, mid- and small-cap US companies. It aims to select companies with the highest ESG Ratings in each sector and maintain sector weights similar to those of the parent index.

In addition, it excludes companies incompatible with a common set of values screens: alcohol, tobacco, gambling, civilian firearms, military weapons, nuclear power, adult entertainment and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The Index is widely cited in academic literature on the performance of ESG investments because of its long track record.

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