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Newsletter

Source: Governance & Accountability Institute

Sustainability-Highlights-Header
January 22, 2015

SERVICES  |  RESEARCH  |  EVENTS  |  WEBINARS  |  BLOG  |  ARCHIVE

What Matters to Sustainability Managers in 2015?

The market has evolved significantly over the years and it’s now time to determine what more is needed to elevate efforts!

GRI Partners, ISOS and Governance & Accountability Institute are teaming up to examine what sustainability topics, issues, and concerns are on the minds of managers - helping to guide the Sustainability function inside leading organizations today.

If you are a manager inside an organization working in the Sustainability function of your organization we are looking for you to participate in our first ever "Sustainability Managers Market Survey". 

The survey is only 15 questions and should not take more than 20 minutes of your time to complete.

In exchange for participation, there are a few perks you may be interested in:

  1. A complimentary copy of the overall findings from the survey so you can learn more about what your peers views are on these important topics.
  2. Entry in a drawing to win 2 complimentary seats to an ISOS Group 2 Day GRI Certified Training.
    (valued at $1,500 each)
  3. 10% off any purchase of G&A Institute's "Sustainability - What Matters" full or 84 GRI indicator rankings by sector report or customized What Matters research service.
    Learn more here: http://www.ga-institute.com/sustainability-what-matters.html 

Sustainability Managers please access the survey here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MD73HGD

In addition to benefitting from receiving an overview of the findings, the general public will be able to access a feature story published after on what all of this means for the next generation of sustainability practitioners!

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

Attention Boards & CEOs: The Conference Board Has Important Insights to Share To Help Your Company…Survive and Succeed!

Imagine the Power to Address Climate Change As the Pope & Roman Catholic Church Focuses on Sustainability

Movers & Shakers in Shareholder Activism — Watch the 2015 Proxy Season and ICCR

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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 Competitive Benchmarking Analysis

http://www.ga-institute.com/uploads/pics/G_A-Benchmarking-Graphic-iStock_000014477887.jpgIt 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

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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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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 - 2015 | All Rights Reserved
Copyrights for other providers are noted where appropriate. Please credit the source if quoted.
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Top Story of the Week

6 Trends That Will Drive Better Board Oversight in 2015
(Friday - January 16, 2015)
Source: Chief Executive - Activist investors focused on leveraging opportunities to shape corporate fiduciary practices continue to impact board chairmen in both large and small companies. Here, our experts identify six trends in board oversight in 2015.

Sustainability in Focus

What does 2015 hold for sustainability?
(Friday - January 16, 2015)
Source: Co-operative News - Sustainability is a core part of the values behind the co-operative business model. Here, Co-operative News hears from leaders across the sector about what the movement should expect in 2015

Who Needs Cars' Smart Mobility Can Make Cities Sustainable
(Friday - January 16, 2015) Associated Profiles : World Resources Institute
Source: WRI - We at the World Bank and the World Resources Institute (WRI) believe that we must seize this opportunity, because cities and urban mobility are key to a sustainable future. Business-as-usual urbanization...

World Bank Uses Innovative Solution to Highlight Sustainability Indicators
(Thursday - January 15, 2015)
Source: JustMeans.com - The World Bank Group is currently driven by the twin goals of ending extreme poverty within a generation and boosting shared prosperity. It is promoting environmental and social sustainability while pursuing a development path of...

Leadership for Sustainability: It's About Boards
(Thursday - January 15, 2015)
Source: Huff Post - Multinational corporations that are leading the way in solving global challenges show us how essential it is for the board of directors to be engaged in the sustainability agenda; to partner effectively with NGOs, governments and...

New Sustainability Research by MIT Sloan Management Review, The Boston Consulting Group, and the UN Global Compact Sees Collaboration and Board Engagement as Critical to Sustainability Success
(Wednesday - January 14, 2015)
Source: 3BLMedia - Ninety Percent of Executives Agree That Businesses Need to Collaborate to Address the Sustainability Challenges They Face. Eighty-Six Percent Say That the Board Should Play a Strong Role in a Company’s Sustainability Efforts.

Wal-Mart ratchets up sustainability expectations
(Wednesday - January 14, 2015)
Source: The Packer - With both Wal-Mart and Whole Foods moving aggressively to measure sustainability of their suppliers, Jeff Dlott believes meeting expectations of buyers can be both a requirement for doing business and a market opportunity for...

Banning Styrofoam, Managing Our Waste, and Promoting Sustainability
(Tuesday - January 13, 2015)
Source: Huff Post - New York City, following the lead of San Francisco and Portland, has banned styrofoam containers in an effort to change the nature of its waste stream, as the type of styrofoam being banned cannot be recycled.

2014: The Year Cities Took Center Stage on Sustainability
(Tuesday - January 13, 2015) Associated Profiles : World Resources Institute
Source: - Sustainable Cities Collective - What did it for you' For us, the dominant trend of 2014 was the growing number of initiatives about the need to give cities more powers to tackle their own affairs and bypass central governments...

Sustainability Reports Should Have Nothing To Do With CSR
(Tuesday - January 13, 2015)
Source: CSRWire - Obviously, sustainability reporting regards CSR. I am a researcher in the field of corporate sustainability, and non-financial reporting is my main research interest. I have investigated the relationship between non-financial...

Sustainability and Business Ethics
(Monday - January 12, 2015)
Source: Pulse - “Ethics” comes from the Greek word ethikos from ethos, which means “custom” or “habit.” Human behavior can often be distilled into nothing more than habit—the reoccurring thoughts and belief systems that inform and direct our...

Beef Industry Groups Meet to Discuss Sustainability but Leave with a Marketing Plan
(Monday - January 12, 2015) Associated Profiles : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Source: - foreffectivegov.org - A coalition of beef producers and major food companies met last month in Brazil to address an issue of increasing importance: the significant, harmful environmental impact of raising beef cattle in a world...

ESG Issues & Players

Dimon warns breaking up JPMorgan would hurt US financial power
(Thursday - January 15, 2015)
Source: FT.com - US financial power would be diminished if it were left to Baby JPMorgans to compete with emerging Chinese megabanks, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase’s chief executive, said on Wednesday as he was forced to make...

New Study Identifies How Cities Can Cut Energy Use by 25% by 2050
(Wednesday - January 14, 2015) Associated Profiles : Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)
Source: Sustainable Cities Collective - At present, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  (IPCC), urban areas consume between 67% and 76% of global energy and generate about three quarters of global...

We are the last generation that can fight climate change. We have a duty to act
(Monday - January 12, 2015)
Source: The Guardian - This year the UN marks its 70th anniversary. Sadly, there is little time for reflection or celebration. More pressing are the competing demands and challenges fuelled by an upsurge in conflict, disease and human suffering. These...

Why the next world war will be fought over food
(Monday - January 12, 2015) Associated Profiles : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Source: Fortune - The world has a massive food crisis on its hands. The crisis is so big that organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations say there won't be enough food to feed the global population when it jumps from the...

Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds

California Pension System Sees Funding Level Climb to 77 Percent
(Wednesday - January 14, 2015) Associated Profiles : California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
Source: Bloomberg - The $293 billion system, known as Calpers, said its estimated funding level rose to 77 percent of assets needed to cover promised benefits as the fiscal year ended June 30. That's up from 69.8...

Malaysian sovereign fund repatriates billions from Cayman Islands
(Thursday - January 15, 2015) Associated Profiles : 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB, formerly known as Terengganu Investment Authority)
Source: - Opalesque Hedge Fund News - Bowing to pressure, Malaysian sovereign fund î1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) said on Tuesday that it has fully repatriated $2.318 billion invested in a fund in the Cayman Islands...

Sustainable Investment Firms Offer Guide to Fossil Fuel Investing
(Wednesday - January 14, 2015) Associated Profiles : Green Century Capital Management & Green Century Funds
Source: - Social Funds - Along with 350.org, Green Century Capital Management and Trillium Asset Management update a guide for investors who want to divest from fossil fuel companies and reallocate their assets to...

Watching the Watchers

Institute for Food Safety and Health
Headquarters: Summit-Argo, Illinois
Established: 1988

KEY PARTNERS
Illinois Institute of Technology
, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, food industry partners

OVERVIEW / MISSION
The Institute for Food Safety and Health
(IFSH) describes itself as “a unique research consortium composed of scientists from the Illinois Institute of Technology, US Food and Drug Administration, and the food industry.” IFSH is also home to IIT’s graduate degree and certificate programs for, respectively, graduate students and food industry scientists and engineers.

BACKGROUND
IFSH's roots date back to 1988 when the Corn Products Refining Co. donated seven buildings to the Illinois Institute of Technology for use as a National Center for Food Safety and Technology. NCFST has been part of IFSH since 2011, when IFSH was formed: IFSH writes that the institute is "strongly positioned to continue this legacy [of NCFST], assisting the nation’s food companies and regulators with practical, authoritative information that supports science-based decision making, especially in light of new requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act." The complex includes labs, a library, a greenhouse, and a pilot plant.

News Sweeps

Higher levels of antioxidants found in organic tomatoes, study
(Sunday - January 04, 2015) Associated Profiles : Institute for Food Safety and Health
- VOXXI - Improving U.S.-Cuba relations: Bad for the Dominican Republic's tourism industry' Sheriff Joe Arpaio to halt squad known for workplace raids The biggest winners of the renewed US-Cuba relations > 2553

9 Food Poisoning Myths
(Thursday - December 25, 2014) Associated Profiles : Institute for Food Safety and Health
- WebMD - nutrition director for the National Center for Food Safety and Technology. MYTH: As long as you cook eggs, they're safe to eat. REALITY: You can safely enjoy your eggs over easy, but not sunny-side up. > 2553

UK's Ploughshare Seeks to Outlicense One-Step DNA Recovery Method for Downstream PCR Analysis
(Saturday - October 18, 2014) Associated Profiles : Institute for Food Safety and Health
- GenomeWeb - Ploughshare Innovations, the technology-transfer outfit charged with commercializing discoveries made at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory of the UK's Ministry of Defence, is seeking licensees for a...

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