By Robert Kropp. Pressure from members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility helps further corporate responsibility in the remediation of human rights violations.
Sustainable & Responsible Investing News
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Shareowners Target Amazon on Human Rights and Climate
By Robert Kropp. Sustainable shareowners submitted four resolutions addressing environmental, social, and corporate governance issues at this week’s annual general meeting, as pressure grows for the company to improve its sustainability performance.
Morgan Stanley Extends Commitment to Sustainable Investing with Its Inaugural Green Bond
Morgan Stanley announced today that it has closed on the issuance of a $500 million green bond, the Firm’s inaugural green bond and the latest step in the Firm’s ongoing strategy to advance market-based solutions to social and environmental challenges. Since 2006, the Firm has facilitated over $61 billion of capital for clean tech and renewable […]
Community Capital Management Expands Green Bond Offerings
By Robert Kropp. The fixed income investment adviser offers opportunities for sustainable investors to meet their community investment mission.
S-Network Global Indexes to Host CSR Investing Summit in New York
(3BL Media/Justmeans) – According to a 2014 report by the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment, sustainable investment trends show a sharp rise in the U.S. From 2012 to 2014, U.S. assets in sustainable, responsible and impact strategies recorded a growth of 76 percent, from $3.74 trillion to $6.57 trillion. A Sustainable Reality report from […]
Sustainable Mutual Funds Grow 76% in Two Years to $6.5 Trillion
(3BL Media/Justmeans) – A growing interest in sustainable investing has encouraged the financial sector to offer more socially responsible mutual funds that are designed to meet the demand. Investors are increasingly looking to put their money behind investments that not only offer a healthy economic return, but also hold true to their personal values. As […]
Resilient Investing: A New Book Takes a Broad View of What it Means to Invest
Global instability. Climate change. Market swings. Investors need to look beyond sustainable investing to resilient investing, argue the authors of a new book. In The Resilient Investor: A Plan for Your Life, Not Just Your Money, Michael Kramer, Hal Brill, and Christopher Peck (pictured from left to right, above), the Managing Partners of financial advisory firm […]
Investors, Major Brands Call for Stronger Standards from Palm Oil Certification Group
Group urges RSPO to strengthen protections for forests, human rights JUNE 1, 2015 // BOSTON, MA: Institutional investors, including Trillium Asset Management, representing over $5 trillion in assets have joined together with some of the world’s largest and most recognizable consumer brands, including PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble, to call on the Roundtable on Sustainable […]
Verite to Assess Trafficking Risks in Sub-Saharan Africa
By Robert Kropp. With economies improving and ample natural resources, the region is at heightened risk for human trafficking violations.
Report Assesses Corporate Conflict Minerals Disclosures
By Robert Kropp. The Responsible Sourcing Network analyzes the quality of more that 1,000 conflict minerals disclosures by large cap corporations, and find that many fulfilled only minimal requirements.
Resolutions Request Emissions Reduction Goals by Exxon and Chevron
By Robert Kropp. A process for shareowners to declare their intention to vote in favor of emissions reduction resolutions at the annual meetings of the oil and gas giants does not appear to have led to substantial votes in favor, but signal that investors who choose engagement as a strategy will remain aggressive.
BlackRock, Ceres Launch Investor Guide on US Corporate Engagement
Large Investors Increasingly Expected to Engage on Sustainability Matters, and Better Understand Emerging ESG Risks SOURCE: Ceres DESCRIPTION: NEW YORK, May 28, 2015 /3BL Media/ – The world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, has teamed up with nonprofit sustainability leader Ceres to create guidance for U.S. institutional investors on engaging with companies and policymakers on sustainability issues. The guide, […]
InvestWithValues.com Launches News Center
InvestWithValues.com is the leading gateway for the sustainable, responsible and impact investing community with its free educational resource and just launched news center. May 27, 2015 10:30 AM ET Tweet This: News Center offers curated articles by leading providers on #impinv #SRI #socfin #communityinvesting http://bit.ly/1IYClZf @InvestValues Press Release ARMONK, N.Y., May 27, 2015 /3BL Media/ […]
Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy
By Robert Kropp. Nobel Economist Joseph Stiglitz and Senator Elizabeth Warren speak at the Roosevelt Institute about the pressing need to rewrite the rules governing the economy in order to lessen inequality. Second of a two-part series.
Divestment moves investors off climate sidelines
Shortly before Nelson Mandela passed away I had a chance to ask F.W. de Klerk what impact the anti-apartheid divestment campaign had on his decision to end apartheid. He said it had no impact at all, and then went on for 15 minutes explaining all the ways it had no impact, which made me wonder. […]
Four East Asian Exchanges Commit to Advancing Social Good in Capital Markets – Bringing World Total of “Sustainable Stock Exchanges” to 23
May 19, 2015 6:30 PM ET Tweet This: Four East Asian exchanges commit to advancing social good in capital markets by joining @SSEinitiative http://bit.ly/1PvIwb0 Press Release SEOUL, May 19, 2015 /3BL Media/ – Meeting in Seoul, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the CEO of the Korea Exchange today announced the commitment of the Exchange to promote […]
Breaking News: Semi-annual Changes to the NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability Index
The Governance & Accountability Institute Would Like to Call Your Attention to Its Long Term Strategic Partner – CRD Analytics and the Semi-Annual Re-Balancing of the NASDAQ CRD Global Sustainability Index, Effective May 18, 2015. SOURCE: Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. DESCRIPTION: NEW YORK, May 18, 2015 /3BL Media/ — The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ), and […]
Exclusive Q&A with Audrey Choi, CEO, Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing
Blog Entry by Reynard Loki in Finance and SRI April 30, 2015 – 12:11pm Thursday, April 30, 2015 – 11:30am If you think that sustainable investing requires a trade-off around performance, Morgan Stanley’s Audrey Choi wants to change your mind. (Justmeans/3BL Media) — An important question in the field of sustainable investing is whether or not […]
Three Socially Responsible Companies with Big Free Cash Flows: Google, Microsoft, and Disney – The Minute
SOURCE: 3BL Media, LLC DESCRIPTION: Can companies with “do good” strategies also generate good profits? That ongoing question from investors continues to get positive answers. Three companies with robust CSR practices—Google, Microsoft, and Disney—have gotten a “thumbs up” from investment advisory The Motley Fool for the huge free cash flow they generate. Free cash flow […]
Wall Street Investment Firms Promote Socially Responsible Investing
(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Impact investing represents a growing segment where the investors back businesses that combine both financial and social returns. The number of investment funds that incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors has gone up from just 55 in 1995 to 925 in 2014, registering a growth of 1,600 percent. The total value […]
TD Bank Leads the Way in Better Banking
(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Businesses are typically the largest direct consumers of natural capital, which is the financial value provided by natural resources and ecosystems. As key stakeholders and consumers, it becomes a critical responsibility of businesses to support the growth and preservation of natural capital in economic, social and environmental terms. TD Bank Group of […]
Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz Takes on Income Inequality
By Robert Kropp. It would be easier, politically, to push for one or two policies on which we have consensus, but that approach would be insufficient to match the severity of the problems posed by rising inequality, his new report states. First of a two-part series.
At Yale, John Fullerton Presents on Regenerative Capitalism
By Robert Kropp. Speaking to the generation that will have to reverse the course of multiple crises, the founder of the Capital Institute envisions a holistic organization of social systems to replace the current reductionist and competitive approach. Third of a three-part series.
SASB Releases Its 2014 Annual Report
SOURCE: Bloomberg DESCRIPTION: Originally from the SASB 2014 Annual Report: Accounting for a sustainable future. It’s what we do. Our sustainability accounting standards are a reflection of the challenges that affect us today and in the future. They address the things that matter to investors and society —issues with the most risk and opportunity. They […]
Sustainable Investing Advocate, Geeta Aiyer Wins Joan Bavaria Award
MAY 13, 2015 // SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Geeta Aiyer, sustainable investing entrepreneur and Founder and President of Boston Common Asset Management, has been awarded the seventh-annual Joan Bavaria Award for Building Sustainability into the Capital Markets. The announcement was made at the Ceres Conference, which is running today and tomorrow in San Francisco. Nearly three […]
The Apple Interview
Latest from the GreenMoney Interview Series SOURCE: GreenMoney Journal DESCRIPTION: GreenMoney Interview Series: “The Apple Interview” Featuring Jacky Haynes, Senior Director of Supplier Responsibility at Apple being interviewed by Bennett Freeman, former Senior VP for Sustainability Research and Policy at Calvert Investments __________________________ Introduction by Bennett Freeman, who was the Senior Vice President for Sustainability […]
What Is the Triple Bottom line?
The phrase “bottom line” has its roots in traditional business accounting. The term refers to the bottom line of an income statement, where total profit or losses are recorded. In effect, the bottom line indicates whether a business is making or losing money. For many in the business community, showing maximum profit on the bottom […]
Portfolio 21’s Merger with Trillium
By The Portfolio 21 Investment Team Both founded in 1982, Trillium and Portfolio 21 have been in the Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI) field for decades. With the growing recognition and popularity of Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI), the merger comes at a very natural time. Trillium’s domestic equity expertise, marketing and distribution capability and […]
The Global Impact of CSR
GreenMoney Interview Series: The Apple Interview Jacky Haynes, Senior Director of Supplier Responsibility at Apple is interviewed by Bennett Freeman, Senior VP for Sustainability Research and Policy at Calvert Investments Measuring a CSR Champion by Michael Jacobson, director of Intel’s Corporate Responsibility Office At Campbell’s Sustainable Business is a Long-Term Journey By Dave Stangis, Vice […]
Heroes & zeros: Archer Daniels Midland and Walmart
Hero: Archer Daniels Midland Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, has committed to a “no-deforestation” policy in regards to the soy and palm oil it sources. ADM will give its suppliers until the end of 2015 to ensure that neither crop is grown in peatlands […]
Regenerative Capitalism Seeks Radical Overhaul of Financial System
By Robert Kropp. John Fullerton, the founder of the Capital Institute, writes that the transition of an antisocial global financial system to one aligned with our understanding that living systems are both sustainable and regenerative is underway. But is the evolution decisive enough to solve the crises of our age? Second of a three-part series.
Is Regenerative Capitalism a Spiritual Quest?
By Robert Kropp. John Fullerton of the Capital Institute authors an admirable paper on what he calls Regenerative Capitalism, but how do we get from the here of exploitation to there? First of a three-part series. SocialFunds.com — Several mornings ago, I opened my email and found myself gifted by an intensely creative close friend […]
Shareholders Press PepsiCo to Take Action to Protect Bees and Other Pollinators
May 5, 2015: Shareholders of PepsiCo* (“Pepsi”), concerned about the sharp declines in the number of bees and other important pollinators, are urging the Company to assess the financial risks it faces due to the decline of critical pollinators across its supply chains. The investors will gather at Pepsi’s annual meeting on May 6th, to […]
Carbon Tracker Offers Roadmap for Energy Transition
May 01, 2015 Carbon Tracker Offers Roadmap for Energy Transition by Robert Kropp Asserting that many executives in the oil and gas industry assume a business as usual approach in their planning, the NGO warns that unconventional exploration and price volatility will have negative impacts for investors. SocialFunds.com — In advance of November’s SRI […]
Women Rule: Why the Future of Social, Sustainable and Impact Investing is in Female Hands
By Marta Maretich In the early days of the social investing movement, women and girls were arguably seen more as program beneficiaries than financial movers and shakers. Social lenders changed their view when they realized that focusing initiatives like microfinance lending on women turned out to be the most effective way to make whole communities […]
Investors Tackle the Impact of Water Scarcity on Their Portfolios
Originally posted on Institutional Investor. On a recent trip to New York, Piet Klop, senior adviser for responsible investment at Dutch pension fund manager and adviser PGGM, took in an encouraging sight. At the headquarters of financial data provider Bloomberg, Klop saw a giant map projected on the atrium wall that highlighted the world’s most […]
Two Years after Rana Plaza Tragedy, Investors Still Seek Corporate Assurances
April 28, 2015 Two Years after Rana Plaza Tragedy, Investors Still Seek Corporate Assurances by Robert Kropp A coalition of institutional investors asserts that the systemic changes needed to safeguard garment workers in Bangladesh remain insufficiently financed, even by signatories to the Fire and Safety Accord. SocialFunds.com — On April 24, 2013, a building […]
Etsy and the B Corp IPO: Sustainability Meets Wall Street
By Peri Schweiger and Jackie Marcus Corporate responsibility professionals have had a not-so-secret crush on investors for years. However, the investment community has been playing hard-to-get. There have been glimmers of interest – socially responsible investment funds, a few bold shareholder resolutions – but little signal from the broader community that a real relationship was […]
Is the Public Etsy Still Part of the Sharing Economy?
Etsy’s IPO took Wall Street by storm last week. The conversation was peppered with questions about whether or not a company that claims to be “a mindful, transparent and humane business” could succeed on Wall Street, a space where these adjectives are rarely used. Yet, this is not the question I’ll ask today. Instead, I’ll focus on is whether […]
Wall Street and Bay Street & Sustainability: Does Your CSR Report Resonate with Investors (Toronto and Livestream)
Wall Street and Bay Street & Sustainability: Does Your CSR Report Resonate with Investors (Toronto and Livestream) BREAKING NEWS: Sustainable Business Practices Dramatically Boost Stock Valuations Did you read this title and think, “it’s about time?” Unfortunately, the title is more future prediction than current fact. Bay/Wall Street often fails to appreciate the proven bottom line […]
Introducing the Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative (Video)
The Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative is a peer-to-peer learning platform for exploring how exchanges, in collaboration with investors, regulators, and companies, can enhance corporate transparency – and ultimately performance – on ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) issues and encourage sustainable investment. Since 2012, several other leading exchanges have joined the group of SSE […]
Forest Conservation Strategy Wins Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge
April 21, 2015 Forest Conservation Strategy Wins Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge by Robert Kropp Four students from the Haas School of Business are awarded the $10 thousand grand prize for developing an institutional investment vehicle that will help alleviate drought and reduce forest fire risk. SocialFunds.com — Blue Forest Conservation Notes, a prospectus […]
Reflections from a Career Investor – Amy Domini
By Amy Domini, founder of Domini Social Investments and partner in The Sustainability Group Women and Investing. The feminist in me is struggling. The mere asking of the question implies a difference, and a difference, when it comes to women, tends to mean a weakness. Women and the sciences, women and sports, the debates about […]
Why Gender Matters to Investors
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the April 2015 issue of Green Money Journal on “Women and Investing.” Read more excerpts here. By Joseph F. Keefe and Sallie L. Krawcheck The business case for gender diversity is now well documented. The research is compelling: When women are at the table – and better yet, in […]
$120 Million Green Bond from Nordic Investment Bank
April 20, 2015 $120 Million Green Bond from Nordic Investment Bank by Robert Kropp The fixed income issuance, driven by investors incorporating environmental, social, and corporate governance factors, will finance loans to environmental projects in Scandinavia. SocialFunds.com — At the United Nations headquarters in January of last year, Ceres unveiled the Green Bond Principles, […]
Investors Call on SEC to Require Effective Climate Risk Disclosure
April 18, 2015 Investors Call on SEC to Require Effective Climate Risk Disclosure by Robert Kropp In a letter to SEC Chair Mary Jo White, a coalition of investors organized by Ceres offers specific criticisms of disclosures by major oil and gas companies, and argues that climate risk is changing the economics of the […]
Harvard Students Mount Blockade in Campaign for Divestment
April 17, 2015 Harvard Students Mount Blockade in Campaign for Divestment by Robert Kropp The Divest Harvard demonstrators block access to administrative offices during Harvard Heat Week as analyses of the university’s investments find significant levels of greenhouse gas emissions. SocialFunds.com — In 2014, after a year-long period in which student activists called on […]
Embracing a New Definition for Social Investing
By Marta Maretich Definitions — we are so over them in the social investing sector. I mean, we wrangled over those darn meanings for years: ethical investing, responsible investing, socially responsible investing, triple- and double-bottom-line investing, green investing, sustainable investing and finally — boom! — impact investing. We split hairs, we waved banners, we made […]
Trillium Honored as B Corp ‘Best for the World’ in 2015
APRIL 14, 2015: Today, Trillium Asset Management was among 120 companies worldwide that were recognized for creating the most positive overall social and environmental impact by the nonprofit B Lab with the release of the fourth annual ‘B Corp Best for the World’ list. The ‘B Corp Best for the World’ list honors businesses that […]
Electronics Trade Association Prohibits Payments to Labor Brokers
By Robert Kropp. The amendment to the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition’s Code of Conduct follows engagement on the issue of payments to labor brokers by members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.