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Sustainability-Highlights-Header
September 27, 2012

SERVICES  |  RESEARCH  |  EVENTS  |  WEBINARS  |  BLOG  |  ARCHIVE

Top Story of the Week

Motor City's Big 3: Leading The Way On Sustainability Reporting
(Tuesday - September 25, 2012)Associated Profiles : Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. 
Source: Hank Boerner, Chairman GAI, CSRWire - America’s manufacturing fortunes have long been represented by the “Big Three” auto companies – Ford Motor, General Motors and Chrysler. When WWII ended, and for the post-war prosperity era well into the late-1960s, American car...

Companies that Invest in Sustainability Do Better Financially
(Friday - September 21, 2012) 
Source: Bloomberg - It's a common misperception that responsible or sustainable investments are all in the hug yourself, warm feeling, good intention category,

ESG / Sustainability

Global warming slows down world economy: report
(Wednesday - September 26, 2012) 
Source: Phys.org - Climate change caused by global warming is slowing down world economic output by 1.6 percent a year and will lead to a doubling of costs in the next two decades, a major new report said.

Riots, suicides, and other issues in Foxconn's iPhone factories
(Tuesday - September 25, 2012) 
Source: CNET News - What makes life ha rd at the giant plants that make iPhones and other staples of high-tech life? The weekend violence is the latest in a growing list of incidents that have heightened concerns over conditions in factories that...

New study questions CEO pay practices
(Tuesday - September 25, 2012) 
Source: BizJournal.com - Determining a top executive’s pay based on peer companies’ compensation might not be a good practice, according to new research from the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, as reported...

Economists say US needs more taxes, spending cuts
(Monday - September 24, 2012) 
Source: Seattle PI - The best way to reduce the federal deficit is through a combination of higher taxes and spending cuts, says a group of economists. A survey of 236 members of the National Association for Business Economics says the...

Sovereign Wealth Funds

China lures foreign investors with changes and roadshow
(Wednesday - September 26, 2012) Associated Profiles :State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) Investment Company (China) 
Source: SmartBrief - China is trying to make it easier for foreigners to buy mainland stocks. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange increased a quota for foreign investments to $9.2 billion, and the Shanghai Stock Exchange made a...

Investment in Europe from China surges
(Monday - September 24, 2012) Associated Profiles :China Investment Corporation 
Source: South China Morning Post - In June, national sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation (CIC) acquired 7 per cent of European satellite operator Eutelsat from Albertis, a Spanish infrastructure firm, for not...

Oil Deal Between Baghdad and Erbil Could Spell Big Windfall
(Thursday - September 20, 2012) Associated Profiles :International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) 
Source: AINA - DNO, a Norwegian company merged with RAK Petroleum, and OMV, owned in part by Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Company, are also active in Kurdistan. The Iraqi central government has, in the past, baulked at...

US Pension Funds

NY pension fund invested in controversial private equity funds
(Wednesday - September 26, 2012) Associated Profiles :California State Teachers’ Retirement System New York State Common Retirement Fund 
Source: ca.news.yahoo.com - An investigation by New York's top prosecutor into whether a group of private equity firms used a fee arrangement to dodge taxes may be undermined by the state's own public pension fund. New York...

Why California Cities Go Broke
(Tuesday - September 25, 2012) Associated Profiles :California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) 
Source: Surf Santa Monica - CalPERS, the state's pension fund that pays benefits for city employees, is $150 billion in the hole and the number will probably go higher, he said. What's the answer' Elected officials have to be accountable...

Missouri government to pay 20 percent more next year to fund state worker pensions
(Monday - September 24, 2012) Associated Profiles :Missouri State Employees Retirement System 
Source: KYTV - The board for the Missouri State Employees Retirement System approved the increase by a 10-1 vote. Become a KY3 Insider! Sign up for our news and recipe newsletters! State Budget Director Linda Luebbering says the...

States see pension crisis looming despite cuts
(Sunday - September 23, 2012) Associated Profiles :California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) 
Source: FOX News - But the measures won't immediately reduce unfunded liability, said spokesman for Calpers, the state pension fund. A spokesman for the California department of finance said the pension changes would achieve some...

Asset Managers

Germany to Spain and Ireland: Drop Dead
(Wednesday - September 26, 2012) Associated Profiles :Thomson Reuters 
Source: Forbes - With the risk of significant banking recapitalization costs weighing heavily on the market's assessment of Spanish deb & sustainability, the announcement was seen as a crucial step by Spain's Eurozone partners towards...

Investors Once Again Find India a Draw
(Tuesday - September 25, 2012) Associated Profiles :State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) 
Source:  NASDAQ - "If India can continue the kind of reforms of the past week, then there are real opportunities going forward," said Robert Hormats, undersecretary of economic growth, energy and environment ...

World economy sliding in twilight zone as EU crisis festers & US nears fiscal cliff
(Thursday - September 20, 2012) Associated Profiles :Credit Suisse Group AG 
Source: Economic Times - Credit Suisse Group AG forecasts gains will be sustained ... The warning from Morgan Stanley, echoed by Citigroup and Pacific Investment Management, is that even with central bank support, the recent slowdown...

Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Reporting

G&A Institute is the Global Reporting
Initiative's (GRI
) sole data partner for theUnited 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:

-- USA -- UK -- Ireland --


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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 platforms.  For more information, please email us atinfo@sustainabilityhq.com
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SustainabilityHQ™  is the headquarters for important ESG, sustainability and responsibility news, commentary and research results. Key capital market players focused on Sustainability and ESG (environmental management, social issues and effective corporate governance) are profiled with considerable relevant information, and updated regularly.  Third party organizations shaping corporate valuations, access to capital  and corporate reputations are profiled and news is updated every day.  Log in and check it out!
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Governance & Accountability Institute Services Portfolio

- ESG Counseling, Strategies & Benchmarking
- Sustainability Coaching, Team Building & Training
- Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility Reporting
- ESG & CR Issues Monitoring & Research
- Stakeholder Identification, Monitoring & Engagement
- Strategic Risk Management

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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 - 2012 
All Rights Reserved

Copyrights for other providers 
are noted where appropriate. 
Please credit the source if quoted. 
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Watching the Watchers

Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia

Headquarters: Hong Kong 
Established: 2001

KEY PARTNERS
Carbon Disclosure Project, Asian Development Bank

OVERVIEW / MISSION
The Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA) defines its work: “ASrIA is a not for profit, membership association dedicated to promoting corporate responsibility and sustainable investment practice in the Asia Pacific region. ASrIA’s members include investment institutions managing over US$4 trillion in assets, however membership is open to any organisation which has an interest in sustainable investment.”

BACKGROUND
ASrIA provides information on sustainable and socially responsible investments around the world. Its activity includes organizing conferences and events, plus publishing research on SRI-related topics. 
ASrIA has about 100 institutional members of various types, and over 5,000 subscribers to its e-bulletin. Voting and supporting members range from BNP Paribas to SAM Group. Associate members are nonprofit organizations who do not pay membership fees; they include such NGOs as Oxfam Hong Kongand Responsible Investment Association Australasia. Voting members must be financial institutions or private investment organizations; supporting members pay fees and enjoy all member privileges except voting rights. Membership fees are on a sliding scale.

News Sweeps
Local Coordination Committees of Syria + Videos - Uruk Net
(Tuesday - July 10, 2012) - Uruk Net - Homs: Qosair: Mahmoud Ghannoum and Asria Al-Omar were martyred as a result of indiscriminate shelling in the village of Al-Daaba. Damascus: Bab Sarija: A demonstration started in the heart of Damascus, the capital...
  
Sindicatum Wins Commodity Business Awards 2011
(Thursday - November 17, 2011) - ... of the Year award by Environmental Finance (environmental-finance.com) and the Most Progressive Corporate Leader award by the Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia or ASrIA ...

Asian companies prefer emissions trading to a carbon tax
(Thursday - October 27, 2011) - Levels of disclosure are particularly high in Korea and Taiwan, says the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (Asria), which produced the report with the support of the CDP. The highest rated ...

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 | Sustainability Coaching, Team Building & Training |Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility Reporting | ESG & CR Issues Monitoring & Research |Stakeholder Identification, Monitoring & Engagement | Strategic Risk Management

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