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Newsletter

Source: Governance & Accountability Institute

Sustainability-Highlights-Header
November 18, 2014

SERVICES  |  RESEARCH  |  EVENTS  |  WEBINARS  |  BLOG  |  ARCHIVE

 

Recent Research Conducted by the Governance & Accountability Institute Attempts to Answer Important Questions for Company Management

In the months of October, November and December each week we will be releasing the top 10 GRI sustainability aspects from three different sectors. The results are based on G&A's "Sustainability - What Matters?" analysis of 1,246 sustainability reports, across 35 sectors, for their level of disclosure around 84 GRI Performance Indicators, and 37 GRI Aspects.

The next three Top 10 GRI Sustainability Aspects released are for the Equipment, Financial Services and Food & Beverage sectors. We list them here for your ease of access.

Top 10 GRI Sustainability Aspects for the Forest & Paper Products Sector
Sustainability – What Matters in theForest & Paper Products Sector

Top 10 GRI Sustainability Aspects for the Healthcare Products Sector
Sustainability – What Matters in theHealthcare Products Sector?

Top 10 GRI Sustainability Aspects for the Healthcare Services Sector
Sustainability – What Matters in the Healthcare Services Sector

 

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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Governance & Accountability Institute Research Reports


Learn more @ G&A!

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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

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Governance & Accountability Institute Service Highlight

Many 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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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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LAST DAY TO REGISTER
WEBINAR: The Identification of ESG Risks Posed to Companies -- Introducing an Important Tool to Help Identify, Analyze and Manage Critical Risks
Presented by G&A Institute and RepRisk
Mark Your Calendar -- Tuesday November 18 at 10am EST

G&A Institute and RepRisk ESG Business Intelligence are pleased to invite you to this upcoming complimentary webinar, on Tuesday, November 18, 10am Eastern Standard Time/USA.  It is now conventional wisdom that the early identification and management of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues is essential to protecting corporate and brand reputation, as well as enhancing capital markets valuations.  Effective management of key ESG risks – including environmental pollution and climate change, preventing human rights abuses, addressing bribery and corruption, and effective management of supply chain and sourcing – is a critical task for executives and managers.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Top Story of the Week

5 Keys to Producing Successful Sustainability Reports
(Thursday - November 13, 2014)
Source: Thomasnet - More than 90 percent of the world’s most profitable organizations engage in some form of sustainability reporting. It’s not so much a chicken-or-the-egg question to ask whether organizations that have achieved sustainability...

Sustainability in Focus

Integrated Reporting: The Goal of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board
(Friday - November 14, 2014)
Source: Reuters - The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board organized in 2011 with the specific goal of getting sustainability data directly into the hands of U.S. public investors. The organization, through its standards, seeks the addition...

Corporate Sustainability Is Corporate Excellence
(Friday - November 14, 2014)
Source: Forbes - Erika Karp, CEO of Cornerstone Capital, uses ‘corporate sustainability’ and ‘corporate excellence’ interchangeably. She is not alone, as her view that sustainability “should be core to the business, and not in a corner” continues...

Good Corporate Governance Correlates to Higher CSR Performance and Shareholder Wealth
(Thursday - November 13, 2014)
Source: NewsWise - Berkeley-Haas’ Center for Responsible Business has awarded its 2014 Moskowitz Prize to the authors of a study suggesting good corporate governance correlates with higher CSR initiatives. And in turn, these increased CSR...

Verdantix Says Sustainability Leaders at High-Revenue Firms Have Growing Influence
(Wednesday - November 12, 2014)
Source: Herald Online - NEW YORK — According to a new global survey of 260 heads of sustainability conducted by independent analyst firm, Verdantix, sustainability leaders have increasing executive committee influence, decision-making authority and...

9 Ways Sustainability Drives Profit
(Wednesday - November 12, 2014)
Source: GreenTech Efficiency - By now, most corporate executives recognize that sustainability must be integrated into a company's core strategy. Unfortunately, not many executives understand why this is so -- or worse, they proudly wear some kind of...

Is Business Doing Enough to Address Global Sustainability Challenges'
(Wednesday - November 12, 2014)
Source: TMCnet.com - (3BL Media Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Source: Coca-Cola Enterprises  -- The business landscape is very different now to when I started my career in the field of sustainability over 15 years...

It’s time to stop compromising on environment sustainability
(Monday - November 10, 2014)
Source: Central Maine.com - So now what? Clearly we are in deep trouble and truly meaningful environmental progress in the near term is no longer a reasonable expectation. Compromise and wonky engagement continue to fail. Expecting progress on climate...

The Green Giant: 5 Questions with Walmart Sustainability VP Manuel Gomez
(Monday - November 10, 2014)
Source: BrandChannel - Walmart is increasing its commitment to environmentally-friendly practices, which is a very good thing given that with 2014 sales on track to pass $473 billion and more than 2 million employees worldwide, Walmart’s industry...

ESG Issues & Players

Global warming to cause 50% increase in lightning strikes across the U.S.: Study
(Friday - November 14, 2014)
Source: Mashable - A new study published Thursday in Science Magazine shows that the frequency of lightning flashes across the U.S. could increase by 50% during the course of this century, due to manmade global warming. This means that for every...

World Outlook Darkening as 89% in Poll See Europe Deflation Risk
(Friday - November 14, 2014)
Source: Bloomberg - The world economy is in its worst shape in two years, with the euro area and emerging markets deteriorating and the danger of deflation rising, according to a Bloomberg Global Poll of international investors...

Customer data protection is a corporate social responsibility
(Monday - November 10, 2014)
Source: ZDNews - The truly sad thing about a webinar on Wednesday featuring Forrester Research security and risk analyst Heidi Shey — apart from it being called a "webinar", ugh! — was its depressing familiarity. Businesses keep making the same...

Just 90 companies caused two-thirds of man-made global warming emissions
(Monday - November 10, 2014)
Source: The Guardian (UK) - "This study is a crucial step forward in our understanding of the evolution of the climate crisis. The public and private sectors alike must do what is necessary to stop global warming," Gore told the Guardian. "Those who are...

Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds

World’s Largest Sovereign Wealth Fund – an Investor Actively Engaged in ESG Issues Like Fossil Fuel Divestment…Quo Vadis, Norway SWF?
by Hank Boerner – Chairman, G&A Institute
Here at G&A the team monitors a sizeable number of asset owners (like pension funds CalPERS and New York State Common), asset managers (Black Rock, Morgan Stanley State Street), S&R investors (TIAA-CREF, Trillium, Calvert) and other kinds of institutional investors – including the growing universe of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs).

10 Troubling Trends For The Global Economy
(Wednesday - November 12, 2014) Associated Profiles : World Economic Forum
Source: The Business Insider - The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked the top 10 threats to the global economy and international order in its latest outlook report released Friday. The WEF labels them "trends", however...

As Banks Exit Bond Market, Pension Funds Becoming Middlemen
(Thursday - November 13, 2014) Associated Profiles : Fitch Ratings
Source:  Barron's - Pension funds are increasingly stepping in to fill that middleman void, as Fitch Ratings explains in a report today. From Fitch: Pension funds are expanding their footprint in the capital...

Pension fund calls on Caterpillar to sever ties with Sudan
(Friday - November 07, 2014) Associated Profiles : New York State Common Retirement Fund
Source:  Peoria Journal Star - A New York pension fund wants Caterpillar Inc. to sever its Sudan business ties. The New York State Common Retirement Fund recently won approval to submit a shareholder proposal on...

Watching the Watchers

Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy
Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
Established: November 2008
 
KEY PARTNERS:Ceres 

OVERVIEW / MISSION
 “BICEP’s goal is to work directly with key allies in the business community and with policy makers to pass meaningful energy and climate change legislation that is consistent with our core principles.”

BACKGROUND
Founding members of Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP) are Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, Starbucks, Sun Microsystems and Timberland. Although BICEP notes that its members, who are mostly consumer companies, are not “major greenhouse gas emitters,” it emphasizes in its FAQ that climate change will have broad implications for all sectors of the economy and “various business perspectives are needed to provide a full spectrum of viewpoints for solving the climate and energy challenges facing America.”
The coalition lists a series of three core principles: "1. Promote energy efficiency and renewable energy 2. Increase investments in a clean energy economy 3. Support climate change adaptation, technology transfer and forest preservation." Details, including policy elements like "support development countries in reducing carbon emissions," are available online.

NEWS SWEEPS
Kellogg wants suppliers to report emissions
(Wednesday - October 15, 2014) Associated Profiles : Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy
- Northwest Herald - It also pledged to join Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy, a coalition that supports legislation that favors cleaner energy and a low-carbon economy. Not only is it what our...

Nestla© and Kellogg acknowledge risks of carbon pollution from power plants
(Friday - October 03, 2014) Associated Profiles : Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy
- Confectionary News - Nestlé and Kellogg have partnered with companies including General Mills and Unilever by joining Ceres' Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP). The coalition will...

Nestla© endorses Caring for Climate, other climate change initiatives at U.N. summit
(Saturday - September 27, 2014) Associated Profiles : Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy
- StreetInsider - Further, the company joined Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), a project of Ceres, to advocate for energy and climate legislation and publicly support the principles contained...


These feeds are provided for Accountability-Central in partnership with 3BL Media.  3BL Media distributes press releases, blogs, videos, podcasts, reports, newsletters and more to the growing audience of stakeholders interested in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability.  Visit 3BLMedia.com for more.

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For more news and content from
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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. Click here for more information on the Governance & Accountability Institute’s SustainabilityHQ resources. The SustainabilityHQ platform is available by subscription.

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.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:
845 Third Avenue, Suite 644, 6th Floor | New York, New York 10022
Tel 646.430.8230 | Web www.ga-institute.com | Email info@ga-institute.com