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The DJSI – Pioneers in ESG/Sustainable Investing Indexes, Celebrates 20 Years of Industry Leadership and Partnership of RobecoSAM and S&P Global Dow Jones ESG equity indexes are certainly all the buzz these days as many more institutional and retail investors are embracing sustainable investing and directing their investment dollars toward existing and new index families that qualify (or purport to qualify) as a suitable ESG/sustainable investment. Of note, Morgan Stanley Institute reports that its surveys reveal that are there very strong signals in asset management circles for growth and opportunity as sustainable investing has definitely gone mainstream. Three-quarters of asset managers report they are adopting sustainable investing (up from a modest 10 percent in 2016). Those surveyed by MSI said they believe they can maximize financial returns while investing sustainably (62% said so); and 89% of respondents say their firm is devoting additional resources to the approach over the next year or two. It was not always this way; the pioneers (asset owners and their managers) focused on the early forms of sustainable investing back 40, 30, 20 years did not have a wide range of indexes/indices to choose from as they embraced a new approach in equity analysis and portfolio management. They believed that sustainable investing methods could help them do well by doing good, as the early adopters proclaimed. In 1999, early days in sustainable investing as we know it today, S&P Dow Jones and SAM (one of the first asset managers focused on sustainability) developed the pioneering approaches to sustainable indexing with a family of funds that have over the two decades worked to shape global sustainable investing practices. Today, SAM is known as RobecoSAM, based in Switzerland. Over time, inclusion in “the DJSI” became a distinct badge of honor and pride for a public company board and management. (Here at G&A Institute we hear that from a wide range of company managers in various sectors and industry categories. “The CEO wants to be in…” Part of our service offerings is helping corporate managers understand and respond effectively to the annual CSA.) Today with literally tens of thousands of sustainable indexes and benchmarks available to investors and more coming every day (it seems to us in our monitoring) the DJSI choices remain king-of-the-hill for sustainable investment professionals. RobecoSAM and S&P Dow Jones Indexes continue to set the pace for this ever-more important class of benchmarks. That first year, public companies were invited to provide ESG information to the partners – 280 did and 228 were included in the first versions of the DJSI. Today, 1,200 companies actively participate in the annual “CSA” (the Corporate Sustainability Assessment) exercise, providing critical ESG data and information to RobecoSAM analysts. The invitations go out to companies in the spring and the new formulations for the family of DJSI indexes are announced in the fall. The period between the September announcement and the preparation for the next spring’s CSA response is critical for examining the results of (say, the 2019 response and results) and the 2020 CSA response by the company. It takes a full six months of preparation to increase scores by providing updated data and information – which the competing peers are doing as well! The more you know about the DSJI and related process, the better as you prepare for the 2020 CSA response when/if your company is invited by RobecoSAM. There’s a complete history of the DJSI and a wealth of useful current information in this week’s Top Story for you. REQUEST YOUR INVITATION This by-invitation program is specifically designed for qualified corporate managers (such as IROs, sustainability managers and others with responsibility to respond to the CSA) to help them understand the process and to hear first-hand from experts involved in the CSA process and investors utilizing the data for scores and index creation (DJSI, S&P ESG Indexes for example). The one-day event will feature speakers from RobecoSAM, S&P Dow Jones Indices, State Street, Abbott and Owens Corning, and valuable peer-to-peer conversations for corporate sustainability and IR managers. The event is sponsored by G&A Institute and Donnelly Financial Solutions, Inc., (DFIN) a leader in risk and compliance solutions, providing insightful technology, industry expertise and data insights to clients around the world. Top Stories Dow Jones Sustainability Indices Review Results 2019 And also of interest… State Street to Battle BlackRock, DWS With New Sustainable Funds Fidelity International launches 'Sustainable Family of Funds' ESG range Sustainability Standards Setters & Policy Makers Cities to step up at U.N. to push climate fight, sustainable development - Source: Reuters Corporate Reporting Dialogue shows high level of alignment between major global reporting frameworks on TCFD recommendations - Source: IIRC Major standards setters release TCFD Good Practice Handbook - Source: CDSB Virginia Governor’s Executive Order to Accelerate Clean Energy Future is the Right Move for the Commonwealth - Source: Ceres
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G&A Institute Sustainability Update™ Generation M – the “Millennials” – Making a Difference in Many Spheres of Society
_________________________________________ Sector Study on Sustainability Materiality of the SDG Targets & GRI Indicators
________________________________________ ________________________________________ G&A IS THE GRI DATA PARTNER FOR USA, UK & IRELAND
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ESG / Sustainable & Responsible Investment Sustainable Finance Industry Guide - Source: GRESB Fact Check: Socially Responsible Investing Is Noble, But Is It Profitable?- Source: Investing.com Are Vegan ETFs the Future of Sustainable Investing? -Source: Worth There’s a ‘great correlation’ between a good company culture and profits, ESG investors say - Source: CNBC Bloomberg Sustainable Business Special Report - Source: Bloomberg Major Private Sector Institutions Present Solutions for Mobilizing Climate Finance - Source: Bloomberg Record 515 institutional investors managing $35 trillion in assets urge governments to step up ambition to tackle climate change - Source: Ceres Major investors and companies urge Massachusetts to commit to a net-zero carbon economy - Source: Ceres 230 Investors with USD $16.2 trillion in AUM Call for Corporate Action on Deforestation, Signaling Support for the Amazon - Source: Ceres Corporate Sustainability / ESG The Power of Aligning Employee Engagement with a Critical Community Need - Source: CECP Responsible Use of Technology - Source: BSR Blog ESG: Why purpose drives returns - not the opposite - Source: Investment Europe Harvard joins Climate Action 100+ - Source: Harvard Gazette The World’s Most Reputable Companies for Corporate Responsibility 2019 - Source: Forbes There's A Small, Elite Group of Companies That Basically Controls the Global Environment, Study Finds - Source: NewsWeek ESG Reporting is Critical – How to Get Started - Source: Corporate Compliance Insights, John Truzzolino Global Sustainability: Continuing Forward Momentum! Penn State Smeal to open Center for the Business of Sustainability in 2020- Source: Penn State News How We Can Make Ports More Sustainable — And Why it Matters- Source: State of the Planet, Columbia University Pushing Sustainability Through the Supply Chain — Our Experience- Source: Clean Technica United Nations and Sanrio Launch Strategic Collaboration to Promote the Sustainable Development Goals - Source: UN SDGs Consumers & Sustainability Curated Marketplaces Are Helping Consumers Discover Sustainable Brands- Source: Ad Week More than half of adults report noticing operators using more sustainable practices - Source: Catering Insight Adweek Is Spotlighting How Sustainability and Climate Change Intersect with Marketing- Source: AdWeek When to lead with sustainability in consumer communications, and when not toSource: GreenBiz Green Product Placement Is Making Sustainability Cool & Normal- Source: Clean Technica Sustainability Data That Matters New Report from the U.S. Green Building Council Shows that Climate Action Requires Putting People First - Source: USGBC GPR launches ESG-focused regional index series based on GRESB data- Source: GRESB Using Local Generation to Improve Data Center Resilience and Sustainability- Source: Micro Grid Knowledge
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Governance & Accountability Instiute is the "Sustainability Headquarters™" for clients in the corporate, investment, public and social sectors. Based in New York, G&A is a for-profit consulting organization providing a range of value-added strategies, services and resources related to ESG & sustainability to clients in the corporate and capital markets communities. For G&A's full range of services, click on each of the links: Sustainability / ESG Consulting Services, Communications & Recognition Services, Investor Relation Services. For more information, visit www.ga-institute.com or contact us at 646.430.8230 or info@ga-institute.com. | ||||||||||||||||||
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