Are Unilever, Nike, Wal-Mart, GE, and Many More Companies Really “Sustainable Multinationals?” Our Top Story this week is a Forbes/Poland post by CSR editor Magdalene Krukowska, who looks critically at a research and ranking effort by SustainAbility (UK) and GlobeScan (Canada) – the firms analyzed the efforts of leading multinationals that are generally considered to be sustainability leaders. She offers negative views on the efforts of these large multinationals that are striving to be more sustainable in their operations. Here at G&A Institute we scour these companies’ (and their peers) disclosure and structured reporting on ESG, sustainability, responsibility, citizenship efforts. (The titles are still interchangeable in practice, which investment professionals see as more confusion than clarity, but that’s another story.) We would generally disagree on a number of points with the commentary, but we suggest that you read it for yourself. The author looks with skepticism at Unilever; Hershey’s; Nestle’s (“cocoa and chocolate peers”); Nike; Coca Cola; BASF; Wal-Mart Stores…and others, and wonders whether they can truly “do the right thing” and institute sustainable strategies and operationalize this across their global platforms. The basis of the research was to assess the progress being made since the 1992 Rio Conference and whether large multinationals are part of the problem or part of the solution. We’ll let you decide where the author comes down on these issues. We suggest you look at the sustainability reporting of the companies in view in this piece and judge for yourself whether or not the companies are walking-the-talk on sustainability. Check the recently enhanced GRI global database for access to the company reports (there are thousands of corporate reports in the database now)– at http://database.globalreporting.org/ Top Story of the Week Can Multinational Corporations Be Sustainability Leaders?
(Tuesday - July 07, 2015)
Source: Forbes - How can international corporations like Unilever, Ikea and Nestlé place highly on a list of the most sustainable companies in the world? Could a study that champions the environmental merits of business behemoths like Patagonia,... Sustainability in Focus Sustainability If
(Monday - July 06, 2015)
Source: OUP Blog - Environmental sustainability includes an ‘if’. The ‘if’ is implied, but invariably left unstated. Sustainability means ‘ability to endure across time’. When used as a matter of physical limitation, no ‘if’ is implied or needed.... How Certified Renewable Energy Can Power A Sustainable Economy And A Sustainable Future
(Monday - July 06, 2015) Associated Profiles : CSRwire
Source: CSRWire - CSR Wire - For a growing number of companies, electricity is a prime resource in the value chain. However, several global corporates have increasingly come under fire from the general public, shareholders and major NGOs with... The Sustainability of Bottled Water
(Tuesday - July 07, 2015)
Source: Environmental Leader - The sustainability of bottled water has been a consistently studied and embittered subject for a variety of reasons. Issues with its packaging and sourcing have remained contentious, most specifically the repurposing of public...
Five Tips for Covering Sustainability
(Tuesday - July 07, 2015)
Source: National Center for Business Journalism - Businesses are increasing their concern over sustainability and how their practices impact the environment. With more investment in going green, sustainability continues to produce money angles. Here are our top five tips for...
Sustainability Policy Is Taking Hold in China
(Tuesday - July 07, 2015)
Source: Huff Post - Whenever I try to analyze China's sustainability policies I am mindful of the fact that I am far from an expert on China's history, culture, economy or politics. It is clear that China's policy context is complex and differs from... Sustainability: The Crucial Question
(Wednesday - July 08, 2015)
Source: Packaging Europe - Sustainability is one of today's most pressing issues around the globe and perhaps particularly for the packaging industry. While the implications are quite wide ranging, waste levels, cost savings and customer loyalty are a... Sustainable Products Fatten Corporate Coffers
(Thursday - July 09, 2015)
Source: CFO - Many large companies are deriving a growing portion of their revenues from portfolios of products and services designed to enhance sustainability, according to new research by The Conference Board. Nine ways to overcome barriers to sustainable business
(Thursday - July 09, 2015)
Source: The Guardian - From competition to communication, there are numerous challenges to sustainable business. Here’s what the experts say about overcoming them Which Type of Sustainability Superhero Are You?
(Thursday - July 09, 2015)
Source: Just Means - It is not often I think Hollywood does much right. But in terms of making money, they know exactly how to capture the 30-something audience with remakes of superhero movies. My husband, for example, can’t get enough. While... Nine ways to overcome barriers to sustainable business
(Thursday - July 09, 2015)
Source: The Guardian - From competition to communication, there are numerous challenges to sustainable business. Here’s what the experts say about overcoming them Three ways luxury fashion can be sustainable
(Friday - July 10, 2015) Associated Profiles : Sustainable Apparel Coalition
Source: Forbes India - The success of the HiGG Index, created by the îSustainable Apparel Coalitionî, which allows global apparel and footwear companies to measure their environmental impact, is testament to self-regulation.... Technological Advancements Support Sustainability
(Friday - July 10, 2015)
Source: The Energy Collective - The 2014 numbers are in and it’s great news for alternative energy. All the primary sources of clean, renewable energy are being developed and consumed globally at greater levels.
ESG Issues & Players Investors Take Friendlier Tack With Directors
(Tuesday - July 07, 2015)
Source: Wall Street Journal - Only about 3.9% of directors up for election at annual meetings couldn’t muster 70% approval, according to Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc.BR +0.48%, which processes proxy votes for upwards of nine in 10 U.S. companies. That’s... Study urges 10 climate actions to curb warming, lift GDP
(Tuesday - July 07, 2015)
Source: Reuters - More efficient energy use and investments in greener cities are among 10 measures that can help the world to slow global warming while also spurring economic growth, an international report said on Tuesday. U.S. Crude-Oil Production to Climb to 45-Year High in 2015
(Wednesday - July 08, 2015)
Source: Bloomberg - U.S. output will advance 8.6 percent to 9.47 million barrels a day this year, the most since 1970, the Energy Information Administration said today in its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook. That’s a 40,000-barrel gain from what... The really worrying financial crisis is happening in China, not Greece
(Friday - July 10, 2015)
Source: The Telegraph - While all Western eyes remain firmly focused on Greece, a potentially much more significant financial crisis is developing on the other side of world. In some quarters, it’s already being called China’s 1929 – the year of the... Asset Managers,US Pension Funds,
Sovereign Wealth Funds Nicklaus: Dumping coal stocks may hurt investors more than firms
(Sunday - July 05, 2015) Associated Profiles : California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - If the sellers are hurting anybody, it may be themselves. In the 1990s, Calpers said it missed out on $500 million of potential returns because of restrictions on South African investments.... China sovereign fund net profit surges in 2014
(Monday - July 06, 2015) Associated Profiles : China Investment Corporation
Source: Opalesque Hedge Fund News - China Investment Corporation (CIC), the sovereign wealth fund, reported a huge net profit increase in 2014 in the company's annual report, released Friday. Net profits hit 89.1... Fed Still Looking at Raising Rates This Year, Minutes Show
(Thursday - July 09, 2015)
Source: New York Times - Federal Reserve officials spent their most recent policy meeting, in June, preparing to raise interest rates later this year. Officials liked the look of recent economic data, including early signs that wages were... Featured Commentary The times, they are a changin’
(Thursday - July 09, 2015)
Source: Larry Checco, Principal - Checco Communications - Question: What do Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt), a bevy of Republicans running to be president of the U.S.A., and a handful of billionaires have in common? Watching the Watchers  Friends of the Earth (Europe)
Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
Established: 1969
KEY PARTNERS
Part of Friends of the Earth International. Funders include several European Union Commission agencies, Oxfam Novib, and foundations.
OVERVIEW/MISSION
The organization summarizes its activities by writing: "Friends of the Earth Europe campaigns for sustainable and just societies and for the protection of the environment, unites more than 30 national organizations with thousands of local groups and is part of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International."
BACKGROUND
Friends of the Earth was established in 1969 by David Brower, who gave the organization the motto, "Think globally, act locally." The UK branch of FoE was started in 1971.
FoE's belief in local grassroots activism is reflected in its structure.
STRUCTURE
About 30 national/country organizations are members of FoEE, and FoEE is a "European branch" of Friends of the Earth International, which has 73 member organizations.
News Sweeps Koch Industries spent more than $600,000 lobbying EU on environmental protection
(Tuesday - July 07, 2015) Associated Profiles : Friends of the Earth (Europe)
- Raw Story - Lobby Control and Friends of the Earth Europe. The new EU Transparency Register continues to suffer from seriously unreliable data, the group says, adding that many companies tend to...
Moonlighting MEPs under scrutiny for conflict of interests
(Monday - June 22, 2015) Associated Profiles : Friends of the Earth (Europe)
- EurActiv.com - But they do have to disclose their earnings under Parliament rules. Corporate Europe Observatory, Friends of the Earth Europe and Lobby Control, which partnered on the report, called into question...
Groups Urge WHO to Set Safety Standards for Herbicide Glyphosate it Classified as Carcinogenic
(Thursday - June 18, 2015) Associated Profiles : Friends of the Earth (Europe)
- Food Consumer - As a consequence, the WHO should conduct its own investigation and remove any panelists with conflicts of interest, said the letter signed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Friends of the Earth US,... | Check It Out...
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Understanding the complexities (the risks and opportunities) of the ESG operating environment; in the new normal of the capital markets, who is monitoring your company, what are they saying, how are they characterizing your enterprise, and what are the outcomes of this monitoring, ranking, rating and opinion-shaping? Learn more About G&A's Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility Reporting _______________________________
Corporate ESG Performance Factors & SustainabilityHQ Corporate ESG Performance Factors are important to financial analysts, asset owners and managers, and many stakeholders. The ESG framework or approach considers environmental issues and impacts, the company’s positioning and actions on social/societal issues, and important aspects of corporate governance. ESG key performance indicators are considered by investors as proxies for effective governance and management. Increasing numbers of of independent research and financial analysis firms monitor and measure these and advisie investors. The Sustainability HQ™ platform is an important profiling and monitoring resource for the G&A team, and for our clients and subscribers. ESG market players and corporate reputation influencers are profiled and monitored by G&A Institute. In these Highlights we provide some results of our continuous global scanning for ESG, sustainability and corporate responsibility news. The Associated Profiles indicated are in our Sustainability HQ™ platforms. For more information, please email us at info@sustainabilityhq.com
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