Disclosure -– It’s All About Materiality So –
What is Material in Climate Change?
An interesting dialogue is going on…. It’s been a few years now since the US Securities & Exchange Commission staff reminded boards of directors of publicly-traded companies that they have an affirmative responsibility for risk oversight from both the risk and opportunity equation. So – is Climate Change a risk? A growing number of stakeholders say “Yes.” And that growing number of stakeholders, including asset owners and managers, are expecting that the companies in their portfolio will be conducting a materiality assessment and then disclosing board/management discussions and decisions taken, regarding climate change risk and opportunities. The key word is materiality. Climate change is an important issue being raised frequently by investors in the current proxy season. The consensus has been growing among many stakeholders: Climate change is material in the context of existing consenus on materiality. (That is – would this information, added to the mix, cause an investor to make a buy/sell/hold decision?) The debate is expanding: Keith Larsen, a reporter-intern at Greenbiz, presents important perspectives in our Top Story. We are pleased to see our long-time Fellow of the Institute, Michael Muyot, weighing in and sharing his wisdom. Notes Muyot: “Companies will keep [not disclosing sustainability information] as long as they can get away with it. I don’t know if they don’t think it’s not material…” What are you views? Read the Top Story and decide! Top Story of the Week Materiality Matters: Why don't companies have to disclose sustainability risk?
(Tuesday - April 28, 2015)
Source: GreenBiz - Given that disclosure of financial risk always has been a difficult mandate for publicly-traded companies, requesting the voluntarily disclosure of sustainability risks may seem like a nearly Sisyphean task. Special -- Food Issues Is Our Food Safety Process Broken?
(Friday - May 01, 2015)
Source: Frontline - Each year in the United States, a staggering 48 million people become sick with a foodborne illness. Roughly 128,000 end up in the hospital, and 3,000 die. Bird flu outbreak could set U.S. record with 'probable' cases in Iowa
(Friday - May 01, 2015)
Source: Reuters - The highly pathogenic H5 avian flu turned up in initial tests at five more farms in Iowa, including a commercial egg operation housing up to 5.5 million birds, Iowa's agriculture department said on Thursday. Whole Foods Tops List Of Companies Forced To Recall Food
(Thursday - April 30, 2015)
Source: Yahoo Health - An analysis of the FDA’s food safety database reveals the most common reasons for food recalls. Why Tyson antibiotic-free chicken is a bigger deal than GMO-free Chipotle
(Wednesday - April 29, 2015)
Source: CS Monitor - As consumers become increasingly mindful of what goes into their food, the race to win them over has kicked into high gear among America’s restaurants and food suppliers. In terms of perception, the two companies that have made... Here's why beef's opponents have got it wrong (Guest column)
(Tuesday - April 28, 2015) Associated Profiles : Union of Concerned Scientists
Source: MLive - A Union of Concerned Scientists report concluded that only about 2 percent of U.S. greenhouse gases can be linked to cattle, and that good management would lower it further. A growing body of research even... Over-consumption, climate change threaten food security, water supply: FAO
(Monday - April 27, 2015) Associated Profiles : World Water Council
Source: interaksyon.com - By 2050 some 60 percent more food will be needed to feed the world's people and as farming remains the largest user of water, food must be produced sustainably to ensure future supplies of food and water, the... Consumer Reports: Tests Find 60 Percent of Frozen Shrimp Contaminated With Bacteria
(Monday - April 27, 2015)
Source: Food Safety News - A new Consumer Reports (CR) study released Friday found that 60 percent of 342 samples of frozen shrimp it tested contained Salmonella, Vibrio, Listeria, or E. coli, and 2 percent tested positive for the superbug MRSA... Sustainability in Focus The Hungry Ocean: Sustainability and the Curriculum
(Friday - May 01, 2015)
Source: Huff Post - A political conservative I know is an avid sailor. When the topic of sustainability comes up, he refers to his decades of sailing the New England littoral and reports the evidence he has seen with his own eyes of island coves... How climate change affects water quality, sustainability - text/audio
(Friday - May 01, 2015)
Source: MPR News - Renowned water expert Peter Gleick, president and co-founder of the Pacific Institute, has been advocating for water quality and sustainability for more than 25 years. De Blasio's sustainability goals: bold vision, blurry plan
(Friday - May 01, 2015)
Source: Crain's NY - It's easy to knock Mayor Bill de Blasio for messing with his predecessor's groundbreaking plan for the city's future. After all, the mayor blurred its focus by adding his pet issue, inequality, to the existing goals of... Chip Bergh: Why Levi Strauss Cares About Sustainability
(Thursday - April 30, 2015)
Source: Forbes - I recently spoke with Chip Bergh, who is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Levi Strauss & Co, a leading global apparel and consumer goods company with sales in more than 110 countries. In the interview, he talks... Sustainability, Full Speed Ahead: 5 Questions with Ford’s Sheryl Connelly
(Thursday - April 30, 2015)
Source: Brand Channel - When it comes to automakers, “sustainability” could be a Ford Motor Company’s middle name. Several years ago, Ford Chairman William C. Ford Jr. became one of the industry’s early advocates for a “green” ethos that extended beyond... EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE: Banks key to advancing sustainable trade
(Thursday - April 30, 2015)
Source: Reuters - Global use of material resources has increased ten-fold since the start of the 20th century and is set to double again by 2030. Worryingly, this escalating demand may jeopardize access to some essential resources, threatening the... Sustainability’ must be more than a word
(Thursday - April 30, 2015)
Source: Sonoma Valley Sun - Since the Industrial Revolution humans have set in place trends resulting in excessive global warming, alarming species extinction, air and water pollution, and over-consumption of natural resources, the consequences of which... Sustainable Investing: A Fiduciary Win-Win
(Wednesday - April 29, 2015)
Source: Wealth Management - Sustainability is considered by many to be an antidote to chaos, introducing or perhaps restoring order to situations that threaten long-term survival. A well-known definition of sustainable development, coined by the United... Tech, transparency and 5 ways to fix unsustainable supply chains
(Wednesday - April 29, 2015) Associated Profiles : Sustainable Apparel Coalition
Source: Green Biz - Collaborations with NGOs, issue-specific nonprofits or other companies a la the Sustainable Apparel Coalition have already singled out key issues like water usage. But it can be difficult... RepRisk data used by SASB as an input for the development of sustainability accounting standards
(Wednesday - April 29, 2015)
Source: RepRisk - RepRisk’s dynamic business intelligence on environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks supports SASB’s evidence-based research... New sustainability agenda must harmonize man’s relationship with planet – UN Assembly President (Tuesday - April 28, 2015)
Source: UN News Centre - As United Nations Member States prepare to adopt and move toward implementing a new development agenda, the President of the General Assembly said it is critical to ensure that “a harmonious relationship with our planet underpins... Sustainability is Key to Fight World's Food Crisis Amid Drought, Floods
(Tuesday - April 28, 2015)
Source: Accuweather - Practices in sustainability offer a glimpse of hope amid a severe world hunger crisis brought on most predominately by severe weather events... Hotels Embrace Sustainability to Lure Guests and Cut Costs
(Tuesday - April 28, 2015)
Source: NY Times - As the drought in California and the Western states draws increased attention to conservation, hotels are turning to sustainability as a way of both attracting guests and cutting costs... Steering Clear of the Sustainability Reporting Trap
(Tuesday - April 28, 2015)
Source: Instead.edu - Companies get stuck in box-checking when it comes to sustainability. But there is substantial value to be found in making sustainability a strategy. Read more at... The Business Case for Sustainable Investing
(Monday - April 27, 2015)
Source: Bloomberg - The global sustainability movement has come a long way in just the last decade, evidenced in part by the ever increasing number of companies and governments actively pursuing sustainability strategies. Despite this, the massive... A ‘greenprint’ for sustainable, growth and social wellbeing
(Monday - April 27, 2015)
Source: The National - If you visit Cité Soleil in Haiti or any other of the world’s poorest mega slums, you will find children picking through giant piles of junk, playing in gullies running with polluted water and returning home to crowded shacks... ESG Issues & Players Tesla's new product is a battery for your home
(Friday - May 01, 2015)
Source: CNN Money - Tesla has unveiled a suite of new energy products, including a wall-mounted battery that will be sold for use in consumers' homes. Study: Global warming has dramatically upped the odds of extreme heat events
(Tuesday - April 28, 2015)
Source: Washington Post - It used to be the big debate in climate change circles. Whenever an extreme event occurred — like, say, Hurricane Katrina, or the deadly 2003 European heat wave — the question would immediately arise as to whether it was... The 10 global companies that get diversity
(Tuesday - April 28, 2015)
Source: HTC Business - These 10 companies are leading the way when it comes to diversity as a cultural and business aim, according to an annual ranking from DiversityInc. This year has already included Silicon Valley's highest-profile gender... Study: Dirty City Air Can Damage Brains
(Monday - April 27, 2015)
Source: Biotech Wired - The dirty air in the city could damage brain, researchers suggested this week. According to the study published in the journal Stroke, brain scans showed that seniors exposed to higher levels of the kind of small particle... Asset Managers, US Pension Funds,
Sovereign Wealth Funds The great unraveling of globalization
(Wednesday - April 29, 2015)
Source: Washington Post - In late 2013, Cisco chief executive John Chambers used a portentous phrase while telling analysts that sales in emerging markets were spiraling downward, forcing the networking equipment company to cut its three- to five-year...
Lawyers for Libya's Investment Authority quit during Goldman lawsuit
(Thursday - April 30, 2015) Associated Profiles : Libyan Investment Authority
Source: Here Is The City - The Daily Telegraph reports that City law firm Enyo, which has been acting on behalf of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) in London court battles against Goldman and French bank Societe...
New York Pension Fund to Invest Billions in Africa
(Wednesday - April 29, 2015) Associated Profiles : New York State Common Retirement Fund
Source: Wall Street Journal - The New York State Common Retirement Fund, one of the largest U.S. Pension funds and worth about $180 billion, plans to invest as much as 3% of its assets in Africa in the next five years to... | 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...
Recent Posts Corporate CEOs – Acknowledged to be the Face of the Brand — What Face Do Sustainability Leadership Companies Present? Lawyers and Sustainability Disclosure/Reporting Helpful Advice & Guidelines to Win Your Case GRI Releases New Linkage Document for G4 / CDP WATER So If The US Equities Market Cools Off — What Happens With ESG Investing Strategies? _______________________________
Governance & Accountability Institute Research Reports
 
Learn more @ G&A! _______________________________ 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:
 _______________________________ _______________________________
Governance & Accountability Institute Service Highlight
Many Reasons to Contact
Governance & Accountability Institute.
Is this one yours?
G&A's Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility Reporting
Measuring, managing and reporting on the progress of the organization's Sustainability Journey – ensuring that ESG market players, corporate reputation influencers, shareholders and stakeholders understand the strategies, goals, program elements of the journey and accomplishments and recognitions earned. Learn more About G&A's Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility Reporting _______________________________
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
_______________________________
Navigating the way to sustainability...
Contents © 2009 - 2015 | All Rights Reserved
Copyrights for other providers are noted where appropriate. Please credit the source if quoted.
_______________________________ |
Join us on LinkedIN
Follow us on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Sign up for SHQ Highlights