Top Story of the Week One of the much-anticipated annual events in the days of September is the announcement out of Switzerland as Robeco Sam Group announces the components of the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. The DJSI are important benchmarks for sustainable & responsible investment (SRI), widely used by mutual funds, investment advisors, asset managers as well as asset owners, and others seeking "sustainable" investments or components for their portfolios. Companies are "in" and "out" each year. Among those being added: Bank of America, UBS AG and UPS. And being dropped, Johnson & Johnson, HSBC Holdings, and Vodafone Group. This is an important development which has impact throughout the coming year -- check out the details in our Top Story this week. The story is posted on our Sustainability HQ platform. Results Announced for 2013 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices Review
Friday - September 13, 2013
Source: S&P Dow Jones Indices - S&P Dow Jones Indices, one of the world’s largest providers of financial market indices, and RobecoSAM, the investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing, today... Sustainability in Focus Redefining Sustainability
(Friday - September 13, 2013)
Source: Harvard Crimson - When people think about sustainability today, they often think about it in the contexts of attaining energy security and solving global warming. While this definition is pertinent to addressing our most immediate challenges... How to get investors to care about sustainability? Show them the money
(Friday - September 13, 2013)
Source: Guardian.co.uk - Corporate leaders consistently mention their frustration that investment professionals rarely, if ever, ask questions about sustainability during quarterly analyst calls. While there may be a great deal of sustainability data out...
Wal-Mart suppliers report progress with sustainability
(Friday - September 13, 2013)
Source: The Packer - Although the fresh produce industry wasn’t specifically discussed during Wal-Mart’s global sustainability milestone meeting, the practices and products of industries closely tied to produce were front and center in reports about... Nine steps for young business leaders to drive sustainability
(Wednesday - September 11, 2013)
Source: Guardian - There's a lot of talk about how a new generation of younger business leaders will be instrumental in driving the corporate sustainability agenda. But while it may be true that they come to the boardroom thinking that short-term... Research shows success of local sustainability efforts to improve environment
(Tuesday - September 10, 2013) Associated Profiles: UN - Global Compact
Source: examiner.com - "The reefs are our livelihood, and we strive to protect them." The news of a successful local initiative comes on the heels of the release of the United Nations Global Compact 2013... Execs want sustainable products. Will they walk their talk'
(Tuesday - September 10, 2013) Associated Profiles : Verdantix
Source: GreenBiz - More than two-thirds of green business leaders consider it important to improve product sustainability performance during the next year, according to a recently published survey by Verdantix, a UK-based... 5 Traits Essential for Sustainability Leadership
(Tuesday - September 10, 2013)
Source: Triple Pundit - Sustainability is a career field that is beginning to mature. Ten years ago, there were few dedicated jobs with sustainability in the title. Professionals who were passionate about this management issue often found themselves... Sustainable investing: Opportunity awaits Islamic finance industry
(Monday - September 09, 2013) Associated Profiles : UN - Principles for Responsible Investing PRI
Source: Gulf News - Islamic finance and the forms of finance generally referred to as sustainable and responsible investing (SRI) are yet to actively collaborate with each other. One would think that to strengthen their position in a... ESG Issues & Players Climate change models may not be accurate after all as study finds most widely overestimated global warming
(Friday - September 13, 2013)
Source: Daily Mail - Predictions on global warming trends may not be as accurate as at first their studies suggest. A new study in the journal Nature Climate Change looked at 117 climate predictions made in the 1990's to the actual amount of... Venezuelan Crisis Worsens: Water Twice as Expensive as Gasoline
(Friday - September 13, 2013)
Source: Ecomonitor.com - Due to years of underinvestment in the water processing system, and a rich abundance of crude oil, water in Venezuela is now twice as expensive as gasoline. Residents in Caracas have become wary of tap water after it was... For Shame: Chicago Will 'Out' Energy Hogs To Drive Reductions
(Friday - September 13, 2013)
Source: IEEE Spectrum - Which would you pick as your place of residence or business: the nice, energy efficient building, or the energy sink with a giant scarlet letter E on its side? Chicago wants to start using such public shaming—more properly known... Thoughts On Socially Responsible Investing
(Wednesday - September 11, 2013)
Source: Seeking Alpha - Investors like the idea of SRI, but I look at so called SRI funds and see things in the top ten holdings such as Herbalife (MLMs – exploitative?), energy companies, gold etc. I know that no company can ever tick every box for... Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds A Rare Loss for Bonds
(Friday - September 13, 2013)
Source: NASDAQ - The historic relationship between bonds and stocks is that they generally have moved in opposite directions. This is how diversification in a portfolio works - when one asset class goes down, others may go up. For years... China vaults to world's 3rd-largest investor
(Tuesday - September 10, 2013) Associated Profiles : State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) Investment Company (China)
Source: china.org.cn - China's outbound FDI rose 17.6 percent year-on-year in 2012 to a record high of $87.8 billion, according to the 2012 Statistical Bulletin of China's Outward Foreign Direct Investment, which was released by the... The Public Eye: California public pension payouts doubled after bump in benefits
(Monday - September 09, 2013) Associated Profiles : California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
Source: Sacramento Bee - The largest group of state workers is under a "2 at 55" formula. Under that plan, for example, a person earning $5,000 per month when he or she retires at age 55 after 20 years of service receives a $2,000... 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, andAssociation Orée 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.” News Sweeps
Existing studies on biofuel sustainability are 'inconsistent'
(Wednesday - June 26, 2013) Associated Profiles : BeCitizen
- brussels.cta.int - The research, compiled by French environmental consultancy BeCitizen external, analysed existing methodologies to calculate the impact of Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) on greenhouse gas... HEC Paris Brings Together 600 Experts For Annual Sustainable Business Conference
(Wednesday - June 05, 2013) Associated Profiles : BeCitizen
- businessbecause.com - Sergio was most impressed by the contribution of Maximillien Rouer, who is President and co-founder of BeCitizen, HEC Parisâ partner for the conference. Rouer, who is an expert on... EU biofuel sustainability criteria 'inconsistent'
(Thursday - May 23, 2013) Associated Profiles : BeCitizen
- EurActiv.com - The study, compiled by BeCitizen, a French environmental consultancy, concludes that percentages of a biofuel's negative or positive impact on GHG emissions vary a lot depending on the crop and zone... | G&A Announces...
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