The water challenge: preserving a global resource
Barclays and the Columbia Water Center explore how energy companies and public utilities can help alleviate water shortages and improve water quality through new technologies and better practices.
Company News
Global Sustainable Investment Review
Globally, there are now $22.89 trillion of assets being professionally managed under responsible investment strategies, an increase of 25 percent since 2014. In relative terms, responsible investment now stands at 26 percent of all professionally managed assets globally. Clearly, sustainable investing constitutes a major force across global financial markets.
Asset-level data and climate-related financial analysis: a market survey
Policy processes across a range of countries (e.g. France, Switzerland, China, etc.), and at international level (e.g. G20) stress the importance of transparency on climate-related data and performance indicators in financial markets and public policy.
Tobacco - Business as usual?
The use of tobacco is unhealthy and this has been known for a long time. Half of its users will die of the consequences. For the Netherlands this means that every year 20,000 people die due to smoking. The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco kills 6 million people worldwide per year.
Your guide to ESG reporting
Once upon a time, environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors were a niche interest among asset owners, asset managers, banks, brokers and investment consultants. No longer. Investors now routinely analyse information on ESG performance alongside other financial and strategic information in order to gain a better understanding of companies’ future prospects.
The future of responsible media
Based on insights generated from desk research, interviews, conference exercises and a decade of expert presentations to the Responsible Media Forum, this report attempts to identify the biggest corporate responsibility challenges facing media companies over the next 10 years. We believe that companies’ responses to these challenges will separate ‘good’ companies from the ‘bad’.
The human rights responsibilities of business in a changing world
Less than 4% of companies (3.66%) have formulated comprehensive commitments, policies and processes, and therefore have achieved advanced performance for the integration of human rights principles and goals into their strategy, management practices and operations.
Global Opportunity Report 2017
It has become a truism that the movement of data, people, and goods connects us all in unprecedented ways across geographical boundaries. This report is a direct product of this reality, born out of a determined belief that behind every global risk the world faces hides multiple opportunities to innovate and create better, more prosperous, and sustainable societies.
Better Business, Better World
Over the past 30 years, the world has seen huge social improvements and technological progress. We have experienced unprecedented economic growth and lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. We’re benefiting from a life-changing digital revolution that could help solve our most pressing social and environmental challenges. Yet despite these successes, our current model of development is deeply flawed.
Fintech and Sustainable development
At present, the financial system is in both turmoil and transition. The financial crisis and its aftermath caused enormous turmoil and led to an extended period of low growth and instability across the international political economy. Transition of the financial system is in part driven by this turmoil, through policy and regulatory drivers, and heightened the influence of emerging nations in shaping global finance.
Shift in US Climate Policy Would Not Stall Global Efforts to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Institutional and private sector forces will underpin global decarbonisation efforts despite potential changes in US climate policy. Climate policy in the US (Aaa stable) is likely to become less ambitious under President Donald Trump, which would pose a potential challenge to the Paris Agreement's objectives should other countries back away from their current commitments.
Expect the Unexpected - The Disruptive Power of Low-carbon Technology
Achieving climate stability will require deep and widespread changes in the global energy sector. Fossil fuel industry projections, however, continue to show a future energy system with few changes to that of today. This is in spite of examples of disruption in the energy sector at the hands of the low-carbon transition.
State of Green Business 2017
When we set out to create the first State of Green Business report in 2007, our goal was simple: to step back once a year from the headlines and conferences to assess how, and how much, companies were integrating sustainability into business strategy and operations. Today, as we launch the 10th annual edition of State of Green Business, our goal remains unwavering, those questions still driving our inquiry.
Clicking Clean: Who is winning the race to build a green internet?
The internet takes a tremendous amount of energy to manufacture and power our devices, data centers, and related infrastructural needs. The energy footprint of the IT sector is already estimated to consume approximately 7% of global electricity. With an anticipated threefold increase in global internet traffic by 2020, the internet’s energy footprint is expected to rise further.
Climate Impact Assessment of Nasdaq Helsinki
The leading climate change specialist, South Pole Group (SPG), together with Oekom Research AG (oekom) have been commissioned by Sitra to assess the climate impact of the companies listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Main Market for the financial year 2014, reported in 2015.
Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures
One of the most significant, and perhaps most misunderstood, risks that organizations face today relates to climate change. While it is widely recognized that continued emission of greenhouse gases will cause further warming of the planet and this warming could lead to damaging economic and social consequences, the exact timing and severity of physical effects are difficult to estimate.
Study on the potential of green bond finance for resource-efficient investments
Green bonds could play a key role in helping to finance the investment needed to achieve the EU’s 2030 Climate and Energy objectives and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This report presents an analysis of the development and functioning of the green bond market.
On borrowed time: banks & climate change
The global banking sector stands at a crossroads on climate. The Paris Agreement became effective in November 2016 and has catalyzed both the size and urgency of risks such as ‘stranded assets’, and the market for opportunities to finance the transition to a low-carbon economy. This is set to have a profound impact on the banking sector over the short and longer term.
Potential Impact of Climate Change on Financial Market Stability
Climate risks have a vast potential to impact financial markets. Through the process of moving towards the 1.5° to 2°C target, fossil fuel assets can lose value. One way is through more frequent natural catastrophes, which can lead to significant losses in asset value alongside insurance losses.
yourSRI launches coverage of your European Fund market
Starting today, yourSRI offers a broad and extensive coverage of the European equity fund- and ETF-market. Based on assets under management, with over 4'200 major investment products and links to over 20'000 different share classes available, yourSRI now covers 80% of all European equity funds as well as over 95% of all corresponding ETFs.
The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index 2016
The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index (GSCI) aims to evaluate the ability to sustain wealth creation. It is based on a competitiveness model that incorporates all pillars of sustained growth and wealth creation: natural capital availability; national governance; intellectual capital; resource efficiency, and social cohesion.
2016 Disclosing the facts: transparency and risk in hydraulic fracturing
Disclosing the Facts 2016 is the fifth in a series of investor reports intended to promote improved operating practices among oil and gas companies engaged in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Hydraulic fracturing is performed to release oil and gas from what is currently known as “unconventional resources”—shale and other geological formations from which oil and gas are difficult to retrieve without fracturing.
Apparel & Footwear Benchmark Findings Report
Recognizing that benchmarks can play a powerful role in encouraging companies to uphold labor standards, KnowTheChain has benchmarked 20 apparel and footwear companies on the transparency of their efforts to eradicate forced labor from their global supply chains.
Global Guide to Responsible Investment Regulation
This report is the first global study to analyse the impact of responsible investment-related public policy initiatives. It focusses on the perceptions of the investor community to draw conclusions about the impact of regulation on investment practice. Through quantitative analysis and interviews with investors, stock exchanges, policymakers and regulators, we found that:
Handbook on Sustainable Investments
Institutional investors in Switzerland are showing a growing interest in sustainable investments. This goes hand in hand with a growing need for information, both among pension funds and foundations, as well as among experts from insurance companies and other institutional investors. Swiss Sustainable Finance has therefore prepared a handbook on sustainable investments for Swiss institutional asset owners.
Why China’s Power Companies Should Re-evaluate Their Coal Capex Plans
The seven leading listed Chinese power companies analysed in this briefing had plans in place at the beginning of 2016 to build up to 89 coal power plants with 68 GW of capacity over the next few years at an estimated cost of RMB 238 billion (USD 35 billion). But does all of this spend make sense?
New research reveals high carbon risks for Frankfurt Financial Center
New research conducted at University of Stuttgart reveals the possible financial losses for investors invested in stocks and mutual investment funds traded at the financial center of Frankfurt. The study is taking into account the effects brought by if new regulations would occur in order to achieve the Paris Agreement's two degree target. The research report is based on detailed climate impact assessment data provided by South Pole Group and yourSRI.
Fiduciary duty in the 21st Century - US Roadmap
This roadmap enables the PRI and UNEP FI to work with investors, stakeholders and policymakers in the US to ensure that regulatory frameworks reflect the modern interpretation of fiduciary duty. This interpretation requires investors to consider long-term value mdrivers, of which ESG factors are a core component, in investment processes and decision-making.
Living Planet Report 2016
Under the current trajectory, the future of many living organisms in the Anthropocene is uncertain; in fact several indicators give cause for alarm. The Living Planet Index shows a persistent downward trend. On average, monitored species population abundance declined by 58 per cent between 1970 and 2012. Not only wild plants and animals are affected: increasingly people are victims too of the deteriorating state of nature. Living systems keep the air breathable and water drinkable, and provide nutritious food. To continue to perform these vital services they need to retain their complexity, diversity and resilience.
The materiality of ESG factors for emerging markets equity investment decisions
This report presents the results of a study performed by the European Centre for Corporate Engagement (ECCE) in cooperation with NN Investment Partners (NN IP) to understand how environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors affect share price performance in emerging markets equities and to help implement a successful ESG-focused investment policy within the asset class. This unique empirical study focuses on evaluating the performance of emerging market equity portfolios that are formed using ESG criteria. We summarize the most important findings below.