The growing interest in corporate and institutional "Sustainability" and "Responsibility" is a global phenomenon. Each day as we monitor news, trends and activities related to S&R, we see examples of business organizations innovating -- from large-cap publicly-traded firms to small start ups and entrepreneurial ventures. Public sector and not-for-profit institutions are embracing S&R strategies and programmatic approaches. Investors are tuning in - and long established investor-centric organizations are driving change in corporate and investor behavior. These include leading universities such as Harvard, and federal, state and municipal agencies.
Old building (c 1931) become new again - and more sustainable, as you will see in the Highlights this week with the focus on New York City's landmark - the Empire State Building. Virtually every sphere of business activity is being impacted by the changes in how we consider the corporation - one of the miracle creations of humankind, with its ability to marshal resources (financial, human, natural) and make things happen. Levi Strauss creates sustainable jeans -- what's next! And, a perennial question - what responsibility to society does the corporation have (in return for the benefits enjoyed such as rule of law)? What is the appropriate relationship of the corporation to society? Answers are more frequently found now in the close examination of corporate sustainability. This week's Highlights focuses on a few aspects (and answers) -- you'll news about companies and investors and NGOs and public sectors below. Be sure to read Lisa Woll's comments as carried on Bloomberg -- "Call It What You Like - New Investing Approach Gains Followers." She's CEO of the US Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF) -- see below Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds heading. As always, we select an important player in the S&R space and present a short introduction to the organization...as we "Watch the Watchers.". This week it is Global Water Partnership in focus. More complete profile and other information is on our SustainabilityHQ(tm) platform - available by subscription. Top Stories of the Week CSR Disclosure: Expanding the Conversation on Materiality and Sustainability
(Friday - May 10, 2013) Associated Profiles : UN - Global Reporting Initiative GRI
Source: CSR Wire - Our materiality map presents the relative priority of sustainability issues within an industry. Consultants, corporations and investors are already using these tools to evaluate risks and opportunities for their... Sustainability in Focus When will emerging economies embrace sustainability?
(Thursday - May 16, 2013)
Source: GreenBiz - Each year, GlobeScan's Sustainability Leaders survey asks experts to name a company they regard as a leader in sustainability. As Joel Makower noted recently, one company above all others -- Unilever -- has emerged as the... Will ‘Resilience’ Replace Sustainability?
(Wednesday - May 15, 2013)
Source: Triple Pundit - Last week, the wine-making town of Sebastopol became the second California city after Lancaster to require that solar panels be installed in all new building construction. Among the driving forces for Sebastopol’s solar are local... Many Entrepreneurs Claim to Care About Sustainability, Yet Make Decisions That Are Harmful to Environment
(Tuesday - May 14, 2013)
Source: Science Daily - Many entrepreneurs claim that they care about sustainability, yet they make decisions that are harmful to the environment. Economic researchers from Germany and the USA have discovered that many bosses do indeed have firm... Sustainability ‘Highly Important’ to 42% of Supply Chains
(Tuesday - May 14, 2013)
Source: Environmental Leader - Less than half of executives say sustainability is highly important to their company’s supply chain, according to a PwC survey. Of the 42 percent of respondents who rated sustainability as highly important, 87 percent named... ESG Issues & Players Corporate Social Responsiblity
(Friday - May 17, 2013) Associated Profiles : World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Source: Core77.com (blog) - In the macro, society's general attitude must orient itself towards an all-encompassing idea of responsibility. And here we can exploit the emerging force of businesses and industries that implement methods of.... Investor Group Proposes ESG Disclosure Rules
(Tuesday - May 14, 2013)
Source: Environmental Leader - The Ceres-led Investor Network on Climate Risk has proposed that companies listed on US and global stock exchanges be required to include a series of environmental, social and governance sustainability disclosures in their annual... Interior Secretary: Fracking Regulations Will Be Based on Best Science
(Thursday - May 09, 2013)
Source: Scientific America - WASHINGTON - The Obama administration's second attempt at writing regulations for hydraulic fracturing on public lands is not intended to appease either environmentalists or oil and gas drillers, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell... Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds Call It What You Like — New Investing Approach Gains Followers
(Thursday - May 16, 2013)
Source: Bloomberg - More than 11 percent of investments under U.S. professional management were selected for companies’ financial performance and their social and environmental responsibility in 2012. That’s $3.74 trillion of the $33.3 trillion in... NY pension fund nets 10.38% return
(Tuesday - May 14, 2013) Associated Profiles: New York State Common Retirement Fund
Source: Star-Gazette – “The governments have struggled with growing pension costs amid the decline on Wall Street. The New York State Common Retirement Fund has reached a milestone,” DiNapoli said in a... Emirates Group announces 25th consecutive year of profit
(Friday - May 10, 2013) Associated Profiles : Aabar Investments PJSC
Source: arabianaerospace.aero - Focusing on our customer touch points, Emirates opened three new dedicated airport lounges during the year including Milan and the new First Class and Business Class Concourse A facilities at Dubai... Watching the Watchers Corporate ESG Performance Factors & SustainabilityHQ Global Water Partnership
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
 Established: 1996
KEY PARTNERS
Co-founders are World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and Swedish International Development Agency.
OVERVIEW/MISSION
The Global Water Partnership states its mission: “The Global Water Partnership's vision is for a water secure world. Our mission is to support the sustainable development and management of water resources at all levels.” BACKGROUND
The World Bank, United Nations Development Programme and Swedish International Development Agency established the Global Water Partnership in 1996. GWP's financing partners group is composed of North American and European governments, and its sponsoring partners list comprises countries and organizations that signed the Global Water Partnership Organization's memorandum of understanding in 2002. | 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:
 _______________________________ Executive Analysis from Governance & Accountability Institute 
_______________________________ 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 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 platforms. For more information, please email us at info@sustainabilityhq.com
_______________________________
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 - 2013
All Rights Reserved Copyrights for other providers
are noted where appropriate.
Please credit the source if quoted.
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Global Water Partnership News Sweep
The private sector: new seed-funders for development'
(Tuesday - May 14, 2013) Associated Profiles :Global Water Partnership
Source: The Guardian - What doesn't tend to happen a lot, however, is the private sector providing seed-funding to kick-start development projects â a role traditionally played by development donors. Yet the idea does have merit....
Burkina Faso Risk Conservation Gains To Fire Wood Burninr
(Tuesday - May 14, 2013) Associated Profiles :Global Water Partnership
Source: Spy Ghana - But although the community has been given seedlings by the mine to plant, it will not be until some years that ... it is very difficult,” a resident of the Burkinabe capital, Madam Safietu Barry stated. She... Before The Next Drought Wreaks Havoc
(Saturday - May 11, 2013) Associated Profiles :Global Water Partnership
Source: indepthnews.info - The answer is yes, in some cases, but most governments still think reactively, focusing on crisis management instead ... a safety net of emergency relief based on sound stewardship of natural resources and... 
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