| From across the nation and around the world, SustainabilityHQ™ (formerly INSIGHTS-edge™) brings you news, commentary and research in key areas of interest regarding ESG, Sovereign Wealth Funds and US Public Sector Pension Funds. We watch the watchers...who are watching you. ESG / Sustainability Americans Value Water More Than Energy, and Want Government to Fix Leaking Pipes
(Source: NATGEO News Watch) Ninety-five percent of Americans say water delivery is more important than access to energy sources and internet and cell phone service, according to a survey released last week by ITT, a $3.5-billion water engineering and infrastructure business. Business Leaders Remain Focused on Sustainability Despite Economic Uncertainty
(Source: PR Newswire) Despite continuing uncertainty about the world's economy, results from the "BSR/GlobeScan State of Sustainable Business Poll 2010" released today show more than eight in 10 respondents (84 percent) are somewhat or very optimistic that global businesses will embrace CSR/sustainability as part of their core strategies and operations in the next five years. Nearly all (94 percent) of the 377 respondents, drawn from a majority of BSR's global network of more than 250 member companies, also said that their companies plan to maintain or increase their budgets for CSR/sustainability programs in the year ahead, and nearly three-quarters expect to increase the amount of internal and external CSR/sustainability communications as well. EU may legislate on corporate social and environmental data
(Source: Responsible Investor) The European Commission says it may legislate not only on corporate governance but also on the transparency of corporate social, environmental and human rights information. The Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, unveiled a set of 50 proposals last week to improve the bloc’s internal market in a 46-page ‘communication’ Towards a Single Market Act: For a highly competitive social market economy. The Conference Board Publishes Handbook on Corporate Political Activity to Help Companies Navigate Campaign Spending
(Source: PR NewsWire) Against the backdrop of a mid-term election season characterized by unprecedented spending from often unclear sources, The Conference Board today published a groundbreaking Handbook on Corporate Political Activity to help companies responsibly navigate the risk-laden environment of campaign spending. The Handbook draws upon input from numerous executives, directors, and institutional shareholders and focuses specifically on the evolving governance issues related to political engagement. Sovereign Wealth Funds Chinese wealth fund implores U.S. to spend on its infrastructure
(Source: International Business Times) The U.S. government should spend $1-trillion on infrastructure programs over the next five years in order to create jobs and raise America’s competitive profile, according to Zhou Yuan, head of asset allocation at China Investment Corp. (CIC), China's sovereign wealth fund. Such expenditure should come in lieu of more quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, Zhou said the Beijing government would be willing to invest in such projects. Norway's oil fund to start buying real estate soon
(Source: Reuters) Norway's $500-billion-plus sovereign wealth fund will start investing in real estate in the "near future" and will probably broaden its portfolio further with infrastructure assets, the central bank chief said on Tuesday. Sovereign Wealth Funds: Threat or Salvation? - Book
(Source : Peterson Institute for International Economics) This study examines the role of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in the global economy and financial system. Sovereign wealth funds are not a new phenomenon in international finance. Governments of a few countries have used similar entities to manage their international financial assets for several decades. Moreover, countries have always held international reserves, and government-owned entities have made cross-border investments for many years. |
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US Public Sector Pension Funds Norwegian Govt Fund under fire over ‘reprehensible’ external managers’ performance fees
(Source: Responsible Investor) The Norwegian Finance Ministry has fended off criticism from the state spending watchdog about controversial performance fees paid by the country’s central bank to external fund managers that run assets for the NOK3trn (€365bn) Government Pension Fund. The Office of the Auditor General recently issued a report to the Storting, the parliament, that was highly critical of Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), the arm of the central bank which runs the fund. It revealed that one manager – named in the Norwegian media as Malaysia’s Pheim Asset Management – received fees of around NOK500m (€61m) for running a mandate valued at NOK3.3bn (€402m) at the end of 2009. Court upholds Sudan Divestment Act
(Source: Nashua Telegram – NH) CONCORD – The state Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a law requiring state pension fund managers to divest from companies that do business in Sudan, but directed a judge to decide whether it conflicts with other state laws. In a mixed ruling, the high court found the state’s Sudan Divestment Act is constitutional but sent the case back to superior court for a judge to reconsider and decide whether the act “impermissibly interferes” with pension fund managers’ “statutory or common law fiduciary duties.” US trails in 2010 ranking of pension systems by world’s only global pension index of its kind
(Source: Mercer) The US retirement income system ranks tenth in the world’s only global pension index of its kind, the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, designed to objectively compare private and public sector pension systems of 14 countries across five continents1. This compares to a US ranking of 6th among 11 countries evaluated a year ago in the index. Watching the Watchers  Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
Headquarters: Washington, DC
Established: 1971
OVERVIEW/MISSION
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) describes itself as “a consumer advocacy organization whose twin missions are to conduct innovative research and advocacy programs in health and nutrition, and to provide consumers with current, useful information about their health and well-being.” CSPI’s Web site has the tagline “Transforming the American diet” and also calls itself “an aggressive non-profit consumer organization conducting innovative programs in nutrition, alcohol, and food safety.” News Sweeps
No more toys at McDonald's'
(Wednesday - November 03, 2010) - The Center for Science in the Public Interest this summer threatened to sue McDonald's if it did not stop using Happy Meal toys to lure children into its ... (more) Food and beverage industry groups to devise FOP labeling system
(Tuesday - November 02, 2010) - Meanwhile, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has expressed reservations about the new initiative, claiming that a “credible system” must ... (more) Will People Eat Less When Calories Are Posted on Menus'
(Tuesday - November 02, 2010) - The answer, according to researchers at an international nutrition meeting here last week, sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, ... (more) |
