Newsletter

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 Equipment Sector
Sustainability – What Matters in the Equipment Sector?

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

Top 10 GRI Sustainability Aspects for the Food & Beverage Sector
Sustainability – What Matters in the Food & Beverage 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 Awards & Recognitions Program
Your corporate sustainability journey may have begun.  Or, the  journey may be far along, maturing  – and the story being told through the GRI sustainability report.  Who is taking notice? Who is recognizing the company's reporting effort (the progress report for corporate achievements), and bestowing recognition?  Which of the many “best of” lists, and ratings, rankings, scores ,and other third party judgments is your company being included in – where are you positioned in the race to the top?   Learn more About G&A's Awards & Recognitions Program

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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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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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Only One More Week 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

GRI Unveils New Structure to Reinforce Global Standards in Sustainability Reporting       
(Friday - November 07, 2014)
Source: Just Means - Accurate, timely and comprehensive sustainability implementation and reporting can help businesses improve their productivity. It contributes to increased motivation level of the employees, and enhances the relationships of the...

Sustainability in Focus

New Study Compares Perspectives of Current and Future Sustainability Leaders
(Friday - November 07, 2014) Associated Profiles : Business for Social Responsibility
Source:  Busbyway - BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), GlobeScan, and Net Impact have jointly released a new industry study which reveals how current and future leaders view the state of sustainable business,...

Sustainable and Technology-driven new Business Models to underpin the Future of Mobility in China(Friday - November 07, 2014) Associated Profiles : World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Source: WCAX-TV - This will be followed by a panel discussion with senior executives from IBM, Daimler, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Frost & Sullivan is a historic knowledge partner of the...

KPMG launches guide to key issues in sustainability reporting
(Thursday - November 06, 2014)
Source: IR Magazine - KPMG has launched a guide meant to help companies pinpoint ESG issues that matter most to investors in a bid to improve sustainability reporting...

Leadership on Sustainability Must Include Helping Shape Smart Policy
(Thursday - November 06, 2014)
Source: The Energy Collective - This past year, we’ve seen some bold action by companies in what we’ve dubbed the business-policy nexus, and it’s taking several different forms. Some have been calling for state or federal action on environmental impacts, while...

Join Forces to Make Business Sustainable
(Wednesday - November 05, 2014)
Source: Knowledge Instead.edu - As highlighted by keynote speaker Barbara Kux, an external director who successfully established Philips and Siemens as sustainability leaders, a sustainability mindset must be built into operational practices and presented...

Sustainable Brands Allures Distinguished Brand Leaders to London Conference
(Wednesday - November 05, 2014) Associated Profiles : CSRwire
Source: CSR Wire -  Sustainable Brands kicks off another community event in London today, SB’14 London at the Lancaster London. The conference brings together nearly...

The next big thing in 'green,' sustainable buildings? Health and wellness
(Wednesday - November 05, 2014)
Source: Biz Journal - "There are a couple of big moves we are seeing out there, and one is the introduction of health and well-being as another element of sustainability," said Paladino, an architect, who founded his own company in Seattle 20 years...

Watch Out for That Cliff: The Urgency of Driving Sustainability in Business
(Tuesday - November 04, 2014)
Source: Triple Pundit - Picture Indiana Jones in the blockbuster film “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” He’s galloping on a white stallion in hot pursuit of a convoy transporting the lost Ark. In true action-hero style, Jones leaps from the horse and drops...

Building Innovation Into Sustainability: Keep Ahead Of Your Competitors
(Tuesday - November 04, 2014)
Source: Forbes - Gary Lawrence is Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for AECOM Technology Corporation (NYSE: ACM), an $8-billion global provider of professional technical and management support services. AECOM’s 45,000 employees...

ALI is No. 1 in sustainability
(Tuesday - November 04, 2014) Associated Profiles : Jantzi-Sustainalytics, Sustainalytics
Source: m.philstar.com - The ranking was conducted by leading research provider Sustainalytics which provides an analysis of company-wide environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance by top global corporations..

Megacities Could Give $2 Trillion Boost to Growth and Sustainability in China
(Monday - November 03, 2014)
Source: Just Means - Conventional wisdom in China suggests that reduction of the overpopulated megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen would best promote equitable growth and sustainability. However, new thinking is emerging that...

ESG Issues & Players

Why Oil Prices Went Down So Far So Fast       
(Thursday - October 30, 2014)
Source: Bloomberg - The reasons oil prices started sliding in June were hiding in plain sight...

Style vs. Substance in Corporate Social Responsibility
(Thursday - November 06, 2014)
Source: Forbes - Today, most companies at least pay lip service to the idea of corporate social responsibility and its close cousin, “cause-related marketing.” The idea is that companies can — and should — do well by doing good. With few...

Falling Oil Prices Reveal America's Fracking Trap -- And Saudi Arabia's Continued Energy Dominance
(Wednesday - November 05, 2014)
Source: Huff Post - The end of the shale boom is nigh. The recent plunge in oil prices reveals an economic and geological reality that some brave industry analysts depict, but which power brokers in Washington, Houston and on Wall Street...

Why Is UN Report So Certain Humans Caused Climate Change?
(Tuesday - November 04, 2014)
Source: NBC News - The science laid out in a new U.N. report is clear and stark: Our fossil-fueled economy has irreversibly changed the global climate. Less certain is whether we'll change lifestyles to confront rising seas and supercharged storms...

Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds

Hedge funds under threat from pension fund rethink
(Friday - November 07, 2014) Associated Profiles : California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
Source: Yahoo! - PMT and others such as the $296 billion California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers) and Britain's Local Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) with assets of 4.8 billion pounds($7.6 billion), are among...

Analyst Sees 'Dangerous Scene' for Markets as Others Yawn  
(Thursday - November 06, 2014)
Source: Bloomberg  For sure, the consensus among many market pundits after last night’s election results is that there’s no reason for alarm. And the early moves higher in stock prices reinforce that...

U.S. Deficit Decline to 2.8% of GDP Is Unprecedented Turn  
(Wednesday - November 05, 2014)
Source: Bloomberg - Robust economic growth has helped push the U.S. budget deficit down to the lowest level since 2008, marking the sharpest turnaround in the government’s fiscal position in at least 46 years...

Sovereign wealth fund chief to lead China's CICC after chairman resigns
(Wednesday - November 05, 2014) Associated Profiles : China Investment Corporation
Source: Reuters - CICC, the country's first investment bank, said in a statement that Jin would be replaced by China Investment Corporation's (CIC) Chairman and Chief Executive Ding Xuedong, although it did not say when...

Watching the Watchers

BeCitizen

Headquarters: Paris, France
Established: 2000

ESG/Sustainability Focus: Yes: Firm consults on environmental issues and advises asset managers on ESG/Sustainability issues.

KEY PARTNERS
French National Sustainable Development Council, and AssociationOrée are among listed Institutional Partners. Ongoing collaborations with La Compagnie Benjamin de Rothschild, which is BeCitizen’s majority shareholder.

OVERVIEW/MISSION
BeCitizen describes itself as “…a strategic and environmental finance consulting firm which create [sic] new opportunities for growth by restoring the environment.” The company states on its Vision page that “In a fast-changing global environment, the companies that last are those that can adapt to emerging market forces and turn risk into opportunity.”

BACKGROUND
BeCitizen was established in 2000; it has registered the term “Positive Economy™” as a trademark. BeCitizen lists some of its clients online. They include such firms as eBay, WWF France, Credit Agricole (banking and finance), and Carlson Wagon Lit (travel).

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