Sustainable & Responsible Investing News

By Robert Kropp. Citing the opportunities in addressing climate change, the President’s budget proposal will include a $10 per barrel fee on oil that will be used to build a sustainable national transportation infrastructure.

By Robert Kropp. The oil and gas giant challenges a shareowner resolution from Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility members, requesting that it commit to global temperature increase limits.

The numbers keep coming, in report after report, and they show that Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) tracking socially responsible indices outperform those that track their parent indices. The latest evidence comes from UBS Global Asset Management. It finds that outperformance by socially responsible investment has been happening on a global scale over the last five […]

To reach the level of investment in new renewable power generation needed to avert dangerous climate change, $12.1 trillion of investment will be needed over the next 25 years, which is $5.2 trillion above business-as-usual projections, a new report by Ceres and Bloomberg New Energy Finance concludes. “Clean energy investment is poised for rapid growth,” […]

Economic Commentary January 2016 | First Affirmative Financial Network By Mel Miller, CFA | Chief Economist During 2015, the financial media was fixated on predicting the date that the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) would raise short-term interest rates. The Fed Funds Rate, the interest rate member banks pay to borrow from the Federal […]

  The global clean energy industry has plenty of reasons to feel good these days. First, there was last month’s historic COP 21 Paris climate agreement, forged by 195 countries, which eclipsed most people’s expectations in its breadth and scope toward achieving a low-carbon economy. Then, the U.S. Congress approved a five-year extension of wind and […]

On the heels of the historic international climate agreement in Paris, more than 500 global investors gathered today at the United Nations to begin mobilizing the trillions of dollars needed to catalyze the global clean energy transition. Speaking just days after scientists confirmed that 2015 was the hottest year on record, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon […]

By Robert Kropp. The sustainable investment firm reports on its shareowner action during the 2015 proxy season, and begins 2016 with resolutions addressing corporate climate change lobbying and emissions reporting.

A new investment index has been launched. It’s the latest result of a growing demand by investors to benchmark the impact of CSR, ESG, and sustainability issues on business valuation. The S&P Long-Term Value Creation Global Index, created by the S&P Dow Jones Indices, measures sustainability criteria and projected investment outcomes over the long term. […]

Those gathering at the UN in New York on Wednesday for the biennial Investor Summit on Climate Risk are facing a new world and a new reality. The Paris global climate agreement, inked in December, has confirmed that every nation is now on an irreversible path to a low — perhaps even zero — carbon economy. The […]

SASB has announced a new educational program focused on teaching professionals how to identify, manage, and evaluate sustainability topics relevant to the company’s bottom line. This new program is called the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Credential. Nicolai Lundy is the Director of Education for the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) where he oversees SASB’s educational […]

By Robert Kropp. The fund tracker Morningstar ranks the performance of the firm’s fixed income investment product among the top one percent of 309 funds in the intermediate government category.

By Robert Kropp. The organization collaborates with CookESG Research to provide an online tool for searching corporate filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission on carbon asset risks and other sustainability factors. Third in a three-part series.

When Corporate Knights published its first Responsible Investing Guide in 2003, socially responsible mutual funds comprised  1 per cent of the Canadian retail fund market by assets. In the past dozen years, many things have changed – particularly with respect to climate change, now widely acknowledged as a seminal challenge of our time. Governments have […]

By Robert Kropp. A shareowner initiative coordinated by Walden Asset Management requests that fossil fuel companies disclose lobbying activities and review public policy advocacy on energy policy and climate change. Second in a three-part series.

By Robert Kropp. With COP21 Climate Conference in Paris ending with agreement intended to keep global temperature increase below two degrees Celsius, investors envision portfolios focused on renewable energy. First in a three-part series.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the PRI is carrying out a series of initiatives throughout 2016 to review its progress mainstreaming responsible investing and shape the future direction of the industry and the organisation.

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), a sustainability revolution in the global financial industry is quietly gathering pace. A range of financial institutions are beginning to incorporate sustainable development considerations in their financial decision-making. Investors increasingly realize the need for such forward-looking approach to protect the global economy from climate-induced financial distress. France […]

Wealthy European investors are beginning to see the long term value in sustainable funds. They are increasingly looking to Socially Responsible Investments (SRI’s), a form of investment that is dynamic and a solution. SRI’s combine financial objectives with social, ethical and environmental issues. Between June 2012 and June 2013, the U.K. saw ethical assets increase […]

Presented by MetLife Foundation in collaboration with WSJ. Custom Studios, Multipliers of Prosperity takes a look globally at the challenges we face in confronting the issues of financial inclusion. The program dives deep into what’s working, questions what isn’t and finds the possible fixes. Most importantly, the program chronicles the triumphs of people who have […]

The PRI supports the Paris Climate Agreement at COP21, and believes that the agreement is the turning point that investors have been seeking. The PRI applauds that the talks recognised the role of private finance in the climate change discussions.

  Northern Trust is an advocate of the highest ESG standards. We fully acknowledge that the long-term financial success of our clients and shareholders depends on a healthy global environment, a stable society and well-functioning companies. In our daily operations and strategic planning, we strive to mitigate our environmental impact and improve our social and governance procedures. As a leading investment manager […]

New Component of Socially Innovative Investing Strategy Expands Access to Investments in Carbon Divestment-compliant Companies   December 16, 2015 /3BL Media/ – U.S. Trust launched a new component of its proprietary and customizable Socially Innovative Investing (S2I) strategy. The Carbon Reserve-Free Strategy (CRF) offers investors who want to express their environmental values the opportunity to invest […]

Securities America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc., (NYSE MKT: LTS), welcomes Progressive Asset Management (OTC MKT: PAMI), a national full-service financial network with $220 million in client assets. Progressive Asset Management (PAM) brings a 27-year history in the field of socially responsible investing (SRI) to Securities America. Under its former […]

By Robert Kropp. A proposal submitted by Zevin Asset Management, requesting that the mutual fund company assess any incongruities in its proxy voting practices relating to climate change, is allowed onto proxy ballot by the SEC.

By, Jon Duncan, Head of Responsible Investment, Old Mutual Investment Group Dec 9, 2015 11:30 AM ET Tweet This: Part 2: .@OldMutualSA discussing the impact of carbon on investment portfolios #COP21 http://3bl.me/c9d7f6 Article Read Part One: Jon Duncan, Old Mutual’s Head of Responsible Investment Writes About COP21 and the Effects of Carbon on an Investment Portfolio The […]

Who would want to argue with NASA when they say this about climate change? “97% of climate scientists agree that climate warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities, and most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position.” — http://climate.nasa.gov/ Yet, some members of […]

  CHICAGO, December 7, 2015 /3BL Media/ – While the triple bottom line is now an established principle in sustainability circles, moving from the platitudes in CSR reports to the hard data investors seek to understand the ROI of these measures involves a far more rigorous approach to disclosure. In a recent presentation to SRI, JLL’s General […]

A recent event hosted by the BC chapter of Canadian Investor Relations Institute (CIRI) featured a panel of mining sector experts who addressed questions on how trends – such as mandated diversity, investor activism and increased regulatory oversight – are likely to impact corporate boards. The panel also touched upon best practices in director recruitment, […]

By Robert Kropp. The American Friends Service Committee publishes research on for-profit prison companies and recommends that investors divest their holdings in five.