US Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Reporting Announcements
Governance & Accountability Institute is the US Data Partner for the Global Reporting Initiative. Here are Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility reports as they are issued in the US: Anvil Knitwear's 2010 CSR Report
(Anvil) 2010 was a challenging year as we navigated rising cotton prices, production increases, limited budgets and the implementation of stage two of our AnvilSustainableManufacturing (ASM) initiative. Despite these challenges, 2010 is notable for the success both in social and real dollar savings shown by the ASM pilots at our cut and sew plants and the other resource savings initiatives at our textile plant. In addition, our employee environmental task forces have responded to our ASM challenges with increasing ingenuity in identifying conservation opportunities throughout the organization. Finally, our sustainability platform is driving new business. SunOpta Issues Inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility Report
(MarketWatch) SunOpta Inc. , a leading global company focused on natural, organic and specialty foods, today announced the release of its inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility Report. The report is intended to provide key economic, social, and environmental information to SunOpta's stakeholders including customers, employees, consumers, shareholders, business partners, community members, and governmental and non-governmental organizations. The report covers the operations of SunOpta Inc, including wholly owned subsidiaries and joint- venture operations, excluding Opta Minerals Inc. The report is available on the Company's Website ( www.sunopta.com) and complements other information about the Company. Inuit - Sustainability Report Shows how Intuit Goes Green
(The Intuit Network) From carpooling to video conferencing, and from better packaging to fewer printers, Intuit and its employees are finding innovative ways to help the company and its customers become more environmentally sensitive. Those are just a few of the examples contained in Intuit’s first Sustainability Report, documenting the company’s progress since launching a corporate-wide program in 2007.
ESG / Sustainability
Water Will Be the Critical Limiting Factor of 21st Century Production
(Triple Pundit) Morgan Stanley’s Global Investment Committee recently released a report in which it argues that the “perfect storm” of declining water supply and rising demand are likely to make water the critical limiting resource of our time. The report, entitled “Peak Water: The Preeminent 21st Century Commodity Story,” paints a convincing picture of a world that is on the brink of a severe water crisis. It also offers hope by presenting new technological solutions and opportunities emerging in response. Facing rising costs and dwindling supply, businesses and utilities will be forced to invest in water infrastructure and technology, making the industry ripe for growth. Climate Bond Standard Launched by Investors, NGOs; Goal: Assure Integrity of Green Claims for Investors, Governments
(The Climate Bonds Initiative) London, England --- The Climate Bonds Initiative released the final approved text of the prototype Climate Bond Standard. The Standard is designed to be a screening tool for investors and governments to support investment in delivering a Low Carbon Economy. Bonds complying with the Standard will be certified as ‘Climate Bonds’— a mark that assures their contribution to the delivery of a Low Carbon Economy. Jack Ehnes, CEO of Standards Board member CalSTRS, said, “We are looking for investment-grade returns that also address climate change. The Climate Bond Standard will allow us to know that investment opportunities put before us will be the right ones to build a Low Carbon Economy.” Associated Profiles : Carbon Disclosure Project, Investor Group on Climate Change - Australia / New Zealand, California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), Ceres
Sovereign Wealth Funds Pensions strikers 'pointing a gun at taxpayers' heads' says Lord Hutton
(Daily Mail) State workers are ‘pointing a gun at taxpayers’ heads’ due to the crippling cost of their gold-plated pensions, the pensions tsar warned. Lord Hutton of Furness, the former Labour cabinet minister, said changes are urgently needed to stop the public sector pensions’ bill spiralling out of control. Associated Profiles - Pension Protection Fund - United Kingdom Dutch fund sues JPMorgan over mortgage pools
(Business Insurance/Reuters) JPMorgan Chase & Co. has been sued by Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP, a pension fund for public employees in the Netherlands, over residential mortgage-backed securities it purchased. The fund bought the pools of home loans based on false and misleading statements, according to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan. Associated Profiles : Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP Libya wealth fund cash to finance rebuilding
(Khaleej Times) Some of the over-large cash component of Libya’s $65-billion sovereign wealth fund will be put to work financing post-Gaddafi reconstruction, leaving time for a full review of its less liquid investments. “I expect an immediate shrinkage of the size of the fund,” Rafik Nayed, acting chief executive of the Libyan Investment Authority, or LIA, told Reuters in an interview. “My feeling is that there will be large investments required in the near future and international reserves will be used to do that, especially as the oil production has not fully recovered.” Associated Profiles : Libyan Investment Authority Asset Managers Analysis: Little appetite in Japan for major post-Olympus reform
(Reuters) Japan is unlikely to make sweeping reforms to rules on corporate governance in the wake of the Olympus Corp accounting scandal because of a largely hostile business lobby and a lack of political will to clip the wings of top executives. The $1.7 billion scheme to hide two decades of investment losses at Olympus is one of Japan's worst accounting frauds and highlights long-standing criticism of lax corporate governance, yet analysts say only minor reform is likely. Associated Profiles : TIAA-CREF (“T-C”) Reports Employee Sustainability Engagement Survey Highlights Green Corporate Trends
(Huffington Post) Do employees support and engage with corporate sustainability strategies? According to a new report, it depends. Brighter Planet, an organization which uses "hard numbers and raw data" to explore opportunities and trends in sustainability, has released the results of its second biennial survey on employee engagement with sustainability, and discovered several important trends. Associated Profiles : MSCI Group (NYSE: MDX) Sustainability in China: Report Details How Companies Are Responding to a National Priority
(PR NewsWire) The Conference Board, the global research and business membership organization, today released a ground-breaking report on the comparative sustainability practices currently being adopted by Chinese enterprises and multinational corporations doing business in China. Based on a survey of 476 firms encompassing over 2,250 offices and production sites, Business and Sustainability in China: Company Responses to a National Priority details the steps private companies are taking to align with the Chinese government's intensifying focus on sustainable development after three decades of accelerated GDP growth that largely neglected environmental preservation. Associated Profiles : MSCI Group (NYSE: MDX) | Corporate ESG Performance Factors are important to financial analysts, asset owners and managers, and many stakeholders. The ESG framework or approach considers environmental and energy issues and impacts, the company’s positioning and actions on social/societal issues, and corporate governance. ESG key performance indicators are also considered proxies for effective governance and management of corporations by investors. Dozens of independent research and financial analysis firms are monitoring and measuring these and advising investors. The Sustainability HQ™ platform is an important profiling and monitoring resource for the G&A team, and for our clients and subscribers. Many of the ESG market players and corporate reputation influencers are profiled by G&A Institute. In these Highlights we offer a few of the results of our continuous global scanning for ESG, sustainability and corporate responsibility news, commentary and research from thousands of global sources. The Associated Profiles indicated are contained in our platforms. For more information, email us atinfo@sustainabilityhq.com. _______________________________
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US Pension Funds CalPERs faces $500 billion shortfall, says think tank
(News 10 TV) California's public employee pension plans face long-term shortfalls as high as $500 billion as costs skyrocket each day, a Stanford University-based economic think tank said Tuesday in a report that critics assailed as relying on faulty data to support the group's political agenda. The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research said the shortfall in the plans that cover 2.6 million California teachers, state workers and university employees is too large to be solved only by cutting future payouts. Associated Profiles : California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) State risks talent drain by reducing benefits, JLARC says
(Richmond Times-Dispatch) Virginia cannot afford to significantly reduce retirement benefits to state employees and teachers or increase their share of contributions without risking the state's competitiveness in hiring and retaining talent, the General Assembly's watchdog agency reported today. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission received a report today from its staff that recommended against requiring employees to pay more toward their retirement benefits, in part because salaries lag significantly behind other potential employers in Virginia and elsewhere. Associated Profiles : Virginia Retirement System Panel to discuss future of Kan. pension system
(Dodge Globe) A study commission continues to study whether to recommend that Kansas legislators create a new 401(k)-style plan for new teachers and government workers. The commission is expected to have a set of proposals after a two-day meeting that begins Wednesday, though members reserved one more day to review the details before submitting recommendations to legislators. The Kansas Public Employees Retirement System projects an $8.3 billion gap between anticipated revenues and benefits promised to public employees and retirees through 2033. Associated Profiles : Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) Watching the Watchers  Business For Social Responsibility (BSR)
Headquarters: San Francisco, California; with offices in New York City; Washington, DC; Paris, France; Hong Kong; Beijing, China; and Guangzhou, China.
Established: 1992
OVERVIEW / MISSION
BSR is a membership organization that states: "Our mission is clear: We work with business to create a just and sustainable world." BACKGROUND
BSR was founded as a membership association dedicated to helping businesses be “commercially successful and socially responsible.” BSR began operations with approximately 45 founding members including Ben and Jerry’s, Patagonia, Tom’s of Maine, and The Body Shop. Until the late 1990s, membership consisted of mostly U.S.-based companies, including many small- to medium- cap enterprises. As of September 2011, BSR claims 250 member companies and has seven offices in Asia, Europe, and North America. News Sweeps Business for Social Responsibility
FENTON Opens London Office
(Monday - December 12, 2011) - PR Newswire - FENTON has opened its first international office in London at 7 Cavendish Square and has hired Alison Lucas as its Director. The 30-year-old social impact... [more] Reena De Asis: Occupying From The Inside
(Thursday - December 08, 2011) - The Huffington Post - The role of business to address the word's social, economic and environmental problems is no longer simply a facade erected by public relations departments to boost the bottom dollar line... [more] Cisco Issues 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
(Wednesday - December 07, 2011) - Marketwire Finance Press Releases via Yahoo! Finance - Cisco today released its seventh annual corporate social responsibility report, which details how the company applies its expertise... |
