FLASH REPORT: It’s Official – 72% of the S&P 500® CompaniesAre Publishing Sustainability Reports We all know the S&P 500 Index companies – Allstate, AEP, Avon, Bank of America, Eastman Chemical, Marriott International, McDonald’s, Oracle, Owens-Illinois, Staples, Verizon Communications, Visa, Xerox -- on and on, the great names in American business. The Index is compiled by S&P Dow Jones Indices, a part of McGraw-Hill Financial S&P 500 represents the best single barometer of the large-cap companies and the US economy. More than US$5 trillion is benchmarked to this Index – more than 80% of the US equities market. So – when we see important trends clearly emerge related to the 500, we sit up and pay attention. Here’s a flash report from the G&A Institute team about the S&P 500 companies: In 2013, 72% of the companies in the Index published a sustainability / corporate responsibility report. This is a dramatic increase – in 2011, just under 20% of companies had reported. The following year (2012) more than half of the companies published a report. The analysis of the S&P 500 universe sustainability disclosure and reporting activities was conducted by a team of talented interns supervised by G&A EVP Louis Coppola. He noted: “We are seeing clear indications over the past three years that senior management understands the importance of adopting and implementing strategies that reflect the rising interest of investors and stakeholders in corporate sustainability.” Read more in the flash report from G&A Institute – our Top Story for this week’s newsletter. Top Story of the Week FLASH REPORT: Seventy-Two Percent (72%) of the S&P Index Published Corporate Sustainability Reports in 2013 — Dramatically Up from 52% in 2012 & Just About 20% in 2011
(Monday - June 02, 2014)
Source: Governance & Accountability Institute — In an analysis just completed by the Governance & Accountability Institute research team, seventy two percent (72%) of the companies included in The S&P 500 Index® were found to have published a… 
Sustainability in Focus 9 Tips for Writing Your Sustainability Story
(Thursday - May 29, 2014)
Source: Environmental Leader - In 2012, Jeff Haden wrote an article for Inc. Magazine, 11 Tips to Write Your Own Story, on storytelling basics from a Pixar artist, and then he applied those principles to business and life. Here, I take his principles one step... Making Cents of Sustainability
(Thursday - May 29, 2014)
Source: AgriPulse - Sustainability has gone mainstream. No longer just the province of environmentalists, conservationists or government regulators, sustainability is becoming a part of everyday life for major retailers, consumers and agricultural... How Can the Guardian's Supply Chain Make Newspapers More Sustainable?
(Thursday - May 29, 2014)
Source: The Guardian - How can businesses work with their suppliers to do more to address the environmental and social responsibilities in their supply chain? Over the last few years Guardian News and Media (GNM) has worked hard to improve the... Greening the Electronic Supply Chain: Corporate Sustainability Management Gaining Ground
(Thursday - May 29, 2014)
Source: Evertiq - Today, as sustainability management continues to expand, companies all along the global semiconductor and electronics supply chain are increasingly interested and dedicated to extending sustainability across processes and... Embedding Sustainability Drives Greater Profitability, Says Unilever CEO Polman
(Wednesday - May 28, 2014)
Source: The Guardian - Paul Polman, CEO of consumer goods multinational Unilever, believes a return to core values is essential in order to address key sustainability challenges such as climate change and food security. Polman, voted Sustainable... Food, Health and Sustainability: We Become What We Eat, and So Does Earth
(Wednesday - May 28, 2014)
Source: The Guardian - The global food system is dysfunctional both from a health and sustainability perspective. It is time that science, policy and business address these issues collectively. On 30 April, a report from the World Health Organization... Brazil Announces Sustainability Measures for World Cup
(Wednesday - May 28, 2014)
Source: Prensa Latina News Agency - Brasilia - The Brazilian government presented a group of sustainability measures today, to be implemented in the hotel, environmental and service sectors during the World Cup, which starts in 16 days. The Environment Minister... 2013 Sustainable NGO of the Year: Carbon Tracker
(Tuesday - May 27, 2014) Associated Profiles : Sustainable Investment Research Institute (SIRIS)
- Blue & Green Tomorrow - Carbon Tracker, which works to identify the financial risks behind high-carbon investments, is Blue & Green Tomorrow’s 2013 sustainable NGO of the year. Launched in 2011, the project’s... Three Quarters of Executives Expect Increased Focus on Sustainability
(Tuesday - May 27, 2014)
Source: Supply Management - More than three quarters of supply chain executives and operations managers predict their organizations will increase their focus on sustainability over the next three years, according to a survey. The poll, conducted by PwC and... Best Practice Guidance for Policymakers and Stock Exchanges on Sustainability Reporting Initiatives
(Tuesday - May 27, 2014)
Source: UN Conference on Trade and Development - Today the world faces a number of critical development challenges, from chronic poverty and economic instability to climate change and harmful emissions. The United Nations is working to identify and address some of the world’s... 'Sustainability' Moves Into The Mainstream As 'Profits With Principles And Less Risk'
(Tuesday - May 27, 2014)
Source: Forbes - The world may, just, be getting better. The EU’s biggest companies will now be required formally to report on the impact their operations and policies have on the environment. They will also be expected to cover human rights... Sustainability Marketing – Let’s Look Beyond the Profit Line
(Sunday - May 25, 2014)
Source: Asian Correspondent - In the last decade, the responsibilities on organizations and business practitioners have grown exponentially. Stemming from the ethical dilemmas that lead into today’s economic crises, expectations of business, and their... ESG Issues & Players Sister Patricia Daly, a Visionary Leader Dedicated to Environmental Justice, Wins the Joan Bavaria Award
(Thursday - May 29, 2014) Associated Profiles : Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy
- TMCnet.com - Ceres also directs Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy(BICEP), an advocacy coalition of nearly 30 businesses committed to working with policy makers to pass meaningful energy and climate... Wind Energy In 2013 Was Equivalent To Taking 20 Million Cars Off The Road
(Wednesday - May 28, 2014)
Source: Think Progress - Wind energy reduced power sector emissions by more than 5 percent last year, saving the same amount of CO2 as taking 20 million cars off the road, according to a new report. The report, published by the American Wind Energy... 'Global Warming' or 'Climate Change?': Which Is the Proper Term?
(Wednesday - May 28, 2014)
Source: NBC News - Welcome to the “to-MA-to”--“to-MAH-to” debate for discussing a toastier Earth. A new Yale University study finds that sort of verbal switcheroo carries weight when Americans use or hear “global warming” versus “climate change.”... Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds Goldman’s Cohn Says Inactive Trading Environment Is Abnormal
(Thursday - May 29, 2014)
Source: Bloomberg - Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) President Gary Cohn said low volatility and interest rates that are holding in tight ranges have resulted in an “abnormal” trading market. “The environment for all the firms is quite difficult right... China Shadow Banking Fears: Overblown or Justified'
(Monday - May 26, 2014) Associated Profiles : China Investment Corporation
- Money Control - Concerns about shadow banking in China are overblown, the chairman of China Investment Corporation (CIC) which is responsible for managing some of the country's massive currency reserves, told CNBC.... Divesting Pensions from Fossil Fuels Finds Support from Candidates
(Sunday - May 25, 2014) Associated Profiles : Pension Reserves Investment Management Board (Massachusetts), Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board Profile
- Eagle-Tribune - The executive director of the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board has said divestment would create a significant administrative and operational burden. Eight... Watching the Watchers 
NGOWatch Headquarters: Virtual: a joint program of the American Enterprise Institute and Federalist Society in the United States which operate the web site. (Both organizations are based in Washington, DC.) Identified as a project of Global Governance Watch on that organization’s web site.
Established: 2003, re-launched in 2009
ESG/Sustainability Focus:
An emphasis on examining NGOs involved in governance and policy. (See “Overview,” below.)
KEY PARTNERS
NGOWatch is “a project of Global Governance Watch,” and also calls itself “a joint project of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies.”
OVERVIEW/MISSION
The NGOWatch page carries these lines: “NGOs have positioned themselves as advocates of global governance and shapers of corporate and government policy. NGOWatch monitors these monitors to encourage transparency and accountability.” News Sweeps
Rallies Not a Move to Overthrow Gov't, says NGO
(Tuesday - May 27, 2014) Associated Profiles : NGOWatch
- Yahoo News Malaysia - The series of post-13th general election rallies are not an effort to overthrow the government, NGO Lawyers for Liberty spokesperson Michelle Yesudas said today. The rallies, Michelle stressed, are an... Rediff.com Movies Sushant Singh Rajput-Ankita move into new home
(Wednesday - May 21, 2014) Associated Profiles : NGOWatch
- Rediff India Abroad - Kai Po Che actor Sushant Singh Rajput's career and personal life seems to be getting even better. And as if to prove that, the actor has moved into a new home in Malad, a western suburb of Mumbai, with his... Arjun Kapoor Supports Educational Initiative For NGO
(Sunday - May 11, 2014) Associated Profiles : NGOWatch
- Yahoo Sceen India - Arjun Kapoor talks about the educational inititative of P and G Shiksha that he has been a part of. Watch the video to know what the actor, who has been seen in films such as Ishaqzaade, 2 States and Gunday... | Check It Out...
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The Governance & Accountability Instituteblog focusing on the sustainable world evolving daily before our eyes. Read it, absorb it, question it and challenge.
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Insights & perspectives for your sustainable journey... _______________________________ 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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G&A's Competitive Benchmarking Analysis
 It 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 _______________________________ Governance & Accountability Institute Research Reports  
 
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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 at info@sustainabilityhq.com
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