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Newsletter

Source: Governance & Accountability Institute

Sustainability-Highlights-Header
February 4, 2014

SERVICES  |  RESEARCH  |  EVENTS  |  WEBINARS  |  BLOG  |  ARCHIVE

Top Story of the Week

Why CFOs are sustainability’s surprising new superheroes 
(Wednesday - January 29, 2014)
Source: Green Biz - CFOs are emerging as the new superheroes of the sustainability world. Their unique perspectives, skills, tools and roles empower them to advance corporate sustainability in the rapidly changing marketplace. Deloitte's global...

Sustainability in Focus

Sustainability Mythbusters Part III: Sustainability Is Too Expensive
(Friday - January 31, 2014)
Source: Environmental Leader - In times when the economy is recovering and budgets are tight, corporate focus on sustainability can begin to drift because of the myth that sustainability is an unproven cost. However, an effective program can actually...

Sustainability Jobs 101: What Do Sustainability and Porn Have in Common?
(Thursday - January 30, 2014)
Source: Triple Pundit - “I know it when I see it” – so said Mr. Justice Potter Stewart way back in 1964. He was, in fact, talking about the challenges of defining hardcore pornography in a landmark Supreme Court case, but his comment applies equally...

Building the case for sustainability with Millennials
(Thursday - January 30, 2014)
Source: PR Week - Everyone agrees now that sustainability is key to growing business, but how can companies engage consumers to embrace sustainable behavior? This was the question examined at the World Economic Forum in 2012, which led to three...

Sixteen global sustainability leaders seeking transformational change
(Wednesday - January 29, 2014) Associated Profiles : World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Source: theguardian.com - For shaking up the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, telling members to shape up or ship out, and being instrumental in creating broad collaborations, rather than trying to "own"...

How materiality drives improved sustainability reporting
(Wednesday - January 29, 2014)
Source: GreenBiz - Numerous external forces are converging to create increased awareness of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. These forces are challenging CFOs to reconsider a traditional reporting model that may not effectively...

Income Inequality Is a Sustainability Issue
(Wednesday - January 29, 2014)
Source: Harvard Business Review - This evening, President Obama will deliver his State of the Union Address, and it is widely reported that it will focus on the issue of income inequality. He will be “on trend,” as they say in fashion — in recent months, leaders...

How should a business leader understand “sustainability”  
(Tuesday - January 28, 2014)
Source: Reuters - We sat down with Lucy Marcus, board director, columnist and TV host of “In the Boardroom with Lucy Marcus” to explore some practical questions around sustainability for business...

Sustainability, Leadership and Management Innovation  
(Tuesday - January 28, 2014)
Source: Huff Post - Last week, my Earth Institute colleague, George Sarrinikolaou, and I began team teaching a new course at Columbia on innovative sustainability leadership. Each week we will host a guest speaker from the emerging sustainability...

Beyond sustainability reports: the state of play in CSR
(Monday - January 27, 2014)
Source: The Guardian - A plethora of reports monitor progress in sustainability, but in reality it will be proactive management - not striking headlines - that drives change...

How business has stepped up to the opportunity of sustainability
(Monday - January 27, 2014)
Source: The Guardian - As he steps down from Global Action Plan, Trewin Restorick reflects on 20 years on the corporate sustainability scene with optimism for the future..

6 steps for a more sustainable supply chain
(Monday - January 27, 2014)
Source: GreenBiz - Stakeholder pressure from investors, shareholders, customers and nonprofits to push sustainability into the supply chain has significantly increased in recent years, with a record number of shareholder resolutions on supply...

ESG Issues & Players

California Farms Going Thirsty as Drought Burns $5 Billion Hole  
(Thursday - January 30, 2014)
Source: Bkoomberg - Near the confluence of the Merced and San Joaquin rivers, the heart of the California farm belt, Bob Kelley watches the driest year ever erode water supplies and prospects for the dairy business his family began in 1910..

Renewable Energy Is Winning the Battle Versus Fossil Fuels
(Wednesday - January 29, 2014)
Source: Daily Finance - Energy in the 21st century is already turning out to be very different from energy in the 20th century. Coal plants that used to provide most of the country's electricity are being shut down by the hundreds and renewable energy...  

Chocolate's dark side, hundreds of children a year are enslaved to harvest cocoa
(Tuesday - January 28, 2014) Associated Profiles : Corporate Watch
Source: examiner.com - The high demand for cheap goods and commercial sex puts children around the world at risk of becoming the supply, according to UNICEF ... They are then used as forced labor to harvest cocoa beans....

Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds

Norway Backs Biggest Wealth Fund in Seeking Highest Returns
(Wednesday - January 29, 2014) Associated Profiles : Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund , Norwegian Government Pension Fund – Global (Statens pensjonsfond – Utland) , Norwegian Government Pension Fund - Norway
Source: Bloomberg - Norway Finance Minister Siv Jensen said the nation’s $820 billion wealth fund should pursue the highest returns amid opposition demands that the investor place more focus on ethics and the environment...

Beware of Activist Investors
(Thursday - January 30, 2014)
Source: American Banker - The banking industry's strong 2013 stock market performance reflects its recovery from the financial crisis. The KBW banking index rose 35% last year while the Standard & Poor's 500 rose by 30%. Nonetheless, the KBW banking index...

Trustees must get better at considering ESG
(Thursday - January 30, 2014)
Source: Pension Professionals - The Association of Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT) conducted a quick survey of the membership, focusing on the Law Commission's concern with the extent to which trustees may or should, in discharging their investment...

Watching the Watchers

Water Footprint Network
Headquarters: Enschede, The Netherlands
Established: October 2008

KEY PARTNERS
Sponsoring partners include such organizations as International Finance Corporation (IFC), UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, and The Nature Conservancy. Water Footprint has a network of several dozen partners.

OVERVIEW/MISSION
The Water Footprint Network focuses on promoting “the transition towards sustainable, fair and efficient use of fresh water resources worldwide” by promoting the water footprint concept and working to develop consensus on standards. The organization cites six activities related to water footprinting, including honing standards and tools, and helping other organizations develop water policies.

BACKGROUND
Water Footprint has a network of several dozen governmental, academic, nonprofit, business, and international organizations. Water Footprint was established in October 2008 -- it builds on research from Arjen Hoekstra, scientific director of the organization and a professor who created the water footprint concept.

Water footprinting aims to determine how much fresh water is necessary to produce specific goods or services. Water footprints may also be calculated for people, businesses, or geographic areas.

News Sweeps
We've used up all the resources the Earth can provide for the year and are now in 'overdraft', campaigners warn
(Saturday - January 18, 2014) Associated Profiles : Water Footprint Network
Source: Daily Mail - The world has reached 'earth overshoot day', the point in the year that humans have exhausted supplies such land, trees and fish and outstripped ... will have risen to two planets, the campaigners said. China has the...

How Much Water Actually Goes Into Making A Bottle Of Water'
(Monday - January 13, 2014) Associated Profiles : Water Footprint Network
Source: ideastream.org - The amount of water to make the bottle could be up to six or seven times what's inside the bottle, according to the Water Footprint Network. Steven Depolo Environmental activists have long claimed...

Earth 'going downhill' as consumption rises, report says
(Monday - January 13, 2014) Associated Profiles : Water Footprint Network
Source: CNN - Hong Kong (CNN)-- From high above the earth, an astronaut launched the latest report card on the health of the planet which once again paints an alarming image of over-consumption and exploitation. In a recorded message,...

Check It Out...


G&A Institute Sustainability Update
Informative, insightful, thought provoking
The Governance & Accountability Instituteblog focusing on the sustainable world evolving daily before our eyes.  Read it, absorb it, question it and challenge.
G&A's Sustainability Update
Insights & perspectives for your sustainable journey...

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Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Reporting

G&A Institute is the Global Reporting
Initiative's (GRI
) sole data partner for the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. As the data partner we monitor, analyze and database information on all Sustainability reports issued in these territories. For a list of recently issued Sustainability reports please follow the links below:

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Featured Events

GRI Business Transparency
Program with
Sector Specific Reporting
Training & Materiality Guidance

A 2-Day Interactive, Sector Specific
Data Driven Sustainability Materiality
and Reporting Workshop with
Certification Granted by GRI
at the Completion and a continued specialized guidance
program for a 6-Month Period
.

First event focusing on
PUBLIC SECTOR
Host: World Bank
Washington, DC February 25 & 26
Details & Registration Here

Organizer & Partners
GRI Certified US Training Partner
ISOS Group
Exclusive GRI USA Data Partner
Governance & Accountability Institute

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Public Agencies
Washington, DC, February 25-26, 2014
Food / Agriculture
Florida, April 2014
Beauty / Chemical
New York, May 29-30, 2014
Financial Services
New York, Dates to be determined
Energy / Utilities
San Diego, Date to be determined
Hotels / Tourism
Las Vegas, Dates to be determined

Details & Registration
Available on the ISOS Group Site

The 13th Annual Responsible Business Summit is Back
More than 15 CEOs and C-suite members gather at
Ethical Corporation’s 13th Annual Responsible Business Summit
(19-20 May, London)
to discuss the challenges and opportunities sustainability presents. This year’s summit features insight from CEOs at SABMiller, Alliance Boots, Sainsbury’s, Interface, National Grid, BUPA, British Land, The Southern Cooperative, ITC Hotels and PureCircle. Keep up to speed here.

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Governance & Accountability Institute Service Highlight

Top 8 Reasons to Contact
Governance & Accountability Institute. Is this one yours?
G&A's Competitive Benchmarking Analysis
http://www.ga-institute.com/uploads/pics/G_A-Benchmarking-Graphic-iStock_000014477887.jpgIt is always helpful to know what peers and competitors are doing in certain practices -- what are the best practices of investment and industry peers in terms of transparency, disclosure and structured reporting on their sustainability performance?  What story do peers tell of their sustainability journey -- the strategies adopted, internal organization for success, implemented programs and initiatives, the third party recognitions they earned?  What is the story being told through their disclosures and reporting of the success of the sustainability journey?  Learn more About G&A's Competitive Benchmarking Analysis

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Governance & Accountability Institute Research Reports


Learn more @ G&A!

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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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For more on:
ESG & Sustainability Players
- Shaping Perceptions, Valuations & Decision-Making

Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs)
- State-Owned Global Investors

US Public Sector Investors 
- State and Municipal Retirement Funds

Asset Managers
- Investors adopting ESG guidelines / policies & shaping market trends

Navigating the way to sustainability...
Contents © 2009 - 2014 | All Rights Reserved
Copyrights for other providers are noted where appropriate. Please credit the source if quoted.
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SustainabilityHQ Highlights is prepared by the Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. based on continuous monitoring of trends and developments in Sustainability and ESG.    The SustainabilityHQ platform is available by subscription.

Governance & Accountability Instiute is the “Sustainability Headquarters™” for clients in the corporate, investment, public and social sectors.  The G&A team provides research, monitoring, advisory and strategic information resources to clients in the corporate, investment, public and social sectors.The G&A services portfolio includes:
ESG Counseling, Strategies & Benchmarking | Competitive Benchmarking |
Sustainability Coaching, Team Building & Training | Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility Reporting | ESG & CR Issues Monitoring & Research | Stakeholder Identification, Monitoring & Engagement |
Awards & Recognitions Program | External Assurance

SustainabilityHQ™ is managed and published by Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc.
For more information, contact us at:
215 Park Avenue South, 10th Floor | New York, New York 10003 at Union Square
Tel 646.430.8230 | Web www.ga-institute.com | Email info@ga-institute.com