Sustainable & Responsible Investing News

  With additional reporting by Toby A. A. Heaps Over nearly a decade and a half of writing a weekly column and several books under the Ecoholic banner, I ranked endless streams of products from worst to best in terms of planetary impact, from beer companies to banks, footwear to ethical funds. Many weeks, judging […]

Last year, Larry Fink’s annual letter to CEOs forged its way into public and corporate consciousness. In it, Fink, chief executive officer of BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest investment firm, made the bold declaration that “to prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive […]

With the recent publication of the much-anticipated “Report on US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends 2018” issued by US SIF showing that ESG has hit the capital markets’ mainstream, with $1-in-$4 in the US (by professional investment managers now incorporating ESG), and the recent petition seeking mandatory ESG reporting submitted to the Securities & […]

Impact Investing & ESG   The Rise Fund Spin-Off Marks Growth of Impact Investing U.S. private equity firm TPG and U2 star Bono’s announcement earlier this week that they have created a new organization for measuring the social and environmental returns of investments appears to be a signal of growing investor demand for tools to […]

In the last two decades, sustainability reporting has gone from an exercise for the largest companies to a necessity to attract investors and meet local and international regulation. But the main benefit of sustainability reporting remains that companies best understand their impacts and can improve their bottom line along with the world around them. The […]

In Q3 2018, we saw that the economy is functioning at a high level. It was a quarter of unusually rapid economic growth in the U.S., enough that the Fed took the word “accommodative” out of their September FOMC Statement, meaning they estimate that the economy is healthy enough to no longer require unusually cheap […]

 Global Sustain organised with great success in a full hall for 3rd consecutive year in cooperation and partnership with Forum for Responsible Investment (FNG), Investment Bank Berlin (IBB) and International Bankers Forum (IBF) the 3rd ESG Responsible Investments, Green Finance & Brands Forum 2018 (http://sustainabilityforum.de/) in Berlin on 26.9.2018 at the Conference Center of Investment Bank Berlin, with […]

The socially responsible investment industry is exploding. By any measure, the growth is exponential, and increasing rapidly. The reasons are straightforward: Sustainable investing is increasingly seen as a superior methodology to manage risk and drive returns. A few numbers tell the story. Socially responsible assets under management (AUM) are estimated at $8.7 trillion as of 2016—a […]

One of the gurus of ESG investing has recently launched a new service for financial advisors (FAs) who want to integrate Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors into their investment process.  He has created a site called “Sustainable Investing” and filled it with content about ESG investing.  Those who subscribe (there is a three month […]

Recently the ESG / SRI Investments is gaining momentum. The ESG / SRI market, in terms of assets under management, number of ESG relevant funds, number of Asset Owners and Asset Managers that integrate ESG factors into their investment strategies, as well as the number of UN PRI Members, grow at a stable pace the […]

A Boko Haram bombing, February 6, 2015, (Photo courtesy Diariocritico de Venezuela) Creative Commons license via Flickr By Sunny Lewis STOCKHOLM, Sweden, August 27, 2018 (Maximpact.com News) – More nature-based solutions are urgently needed to avoid a violent global water crisis, warn the hosts of World Water Week 2018, which opened Sunday in Stockholm, attracting government […]

Barclays’ first green finance conference, held at London’s Royal Geographical Society, brought together speakers from business, finance and government to explore how innovation and investment can tackle climate change. The conference was an example of what Rhian-Mari Thomas, Chair of Barclays’ Green Banking Council, calls “our convening power, that can bring together different parties to […]

By Lois Yurow Delaware companies that are focused on sustainability will soon have a new way to demonstrate their dedication. Effective October 1, any Delaware “entity”—a term that encompasses corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, statutory trusts, and certain associations—may elect to apply for a so-called “certificate of adoption of transparency and sustainability standards.” The newly […]

Climate Displacement in Bangladesh: The Jamuna River has swollen from heavier than usual monsoon rainfall causing severe flooding on the islands. Women on Dakkin Patil Bariare are forced to wade across waterlogged land. August 2011 (Photo by Stuart Matthews) Creative Commons license via Flickr By Sunny Lewis WASHINGTON, DC, August 2, 2018 (Maximpact.com News) – The […]

The professional CPAs working inside a public company, or in the outside accounting firm working with a company may or may not yet be involved in assisting corporate managers in responding to a growing number of third-party surveys focused on the company’s ESG strategies, actions and achievements.  Responses to these periodic surveys and engagements by […]

Every week G&A Institute assembles the value-added content that our team gathers for you as we closely monitor trends and developments in corporate sustainability, corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, sustainable investing, and related topics and issues.  Our Editor-in-Chief Ken Cynar leads the daily effort and you see the results of his work in each issue of Highlights […]

Creative approaches to advance the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being jointly developed at the national level by multi-stakeholder partners. That was the key take away from SDG Country Plans: A Roadmap to Private Investment, an event organized on the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum by the United Nations Global Compact, the Principles […]

Q2 2018 saw more than the usual amount of market reverberations emerge from macro policy. First and last on that list: tariffs and the fear of full-blown trade wars. It has been a year since the Trump administration withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a free trade agreement for nations around the […]

​Ten recommendations for companies to meet Investor needs in SDG reporting ​NEW YORK, July 17, 2018 /3BL Media/ — Ten recommendations intended to stimulate more investment to help advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were published today at the SDG Business Forum by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the […]

People putting their money into environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments might be in for disappointment, Greenchip Financial’s John Cook said. ESG funds, which select companies for their broader environmental and social impact on top of performance, include a lot of big names whose business has little to do with reducing pollution, Greenchip president Cook […]

Starting this fall, choosing a financial advisor may become a little easier for people who care about the impact their money is having—thanks to a brand new professional designation for financial advisors that was recently unveiled by the College of Financial Planning, in collaboration with the US SIF: The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. Called the Chartered […]

Envest Asset Management, LLC was created as an independent, fee-only financial advisor after recognizing that advisors and brokerages, alike, offering financial planning and investment management services are missing the critical components of sustainability, social responsibility, and governance. James Osborn Founder/Principal of Envest Asset Management, and most recently a private equity investor in the clean energy […]

Is the business community doing enough to advance sustainability…are institutional investor doing enough with their allocation of capital and identification and targeting of positive outcomes for the invested capital?  As we continue to be encouraged by the rising interest in sustainable investing by mainstream institutions, and the broadening interest of corporate executives and boards in […]

Small-scale purse seine fishers catch cuttlefish in Van Phong Bay, central Vietnam, September 11, 2009. (Photo by David Mills / World Fish Center) Creative Commons license via Flickr By Sunny Lewis DA NANG, Vietnam, June 28, 2018 (Maximpact.com News) – This is “a critical moment for the future of our planet and its people,” Naoko […]

By Hank Boerner – Chair and Chief Strategist, G&A Institute The influential Barron’s magazine is published on Mondays by Dow Jones & Company with distribution to almost a half-million retail and institutional investors (300,000+ for print version, the rest digital or combination). Barron’s says it has been “delivering market-beating stock picks and investment advice to […]

The GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards help companies communicate their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) impacts to a wide target audience, including the investment community. GRI believes that in order to achieve real progress, there’s a need to align capital investment with sustainable business. We asked prominent investors why they think sustainability matters – here’s what they […]

Increasingly, employees with pensions think about how environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors affect their investments. BNY Mellon’s Marvin Vervaart, Asset Owner Segment Head for Europe, Middle East, Africa, and pension fund manager Gert-Jan Sikking, Senior Advisor Responsible Investment for PGGM, a Dutch cooperative pension fund manager, discuss the trend and how it benefits society, […]

(GlobeNewswire) – Global impact firm Palladium, which manages large-scale government programs for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), DFID and DFAT, has chosen a new Australian CEO to take over from Kim Bredhauer. Bredhauer has spent 36 years with Palladium and 18 as Group Managing Director and CEO, building the company into one of the […]

“Someone said to me a little while ago that once you start immersing yourself and engaging yourself with climate change issues, it’s almost impossible to go back to anything else. You would have to wake up every morning and think: I’m using all my skills and abilities to help support a ‘six degree world’. So, […]

Since its launch in June 2017, the We Are Still In coalition has doubled in size and grown in clout, becoming a national movement of nearly 2,800 leaders strong, including 1,800 companies and investors, working together to uphold America’s promise to meet the U.S. goals of the Paris Agreement. The signatories, which also include governors, mayors, tribes, […]

May 23, 2018  /3BL Media/ – A new coalition backed by the National Association of Manufacturers aims to ‘undermine critical shareholder rights that investors have long supported and relied on to help them effectively and efficiently protect the long-term value of their investments,’ Ceres CEO and President Mindy said in a statement. Lubber added: Climate change, water […]

There are some interesting new angles to the perennial public dialogues that go on about issues related to executive compensation.  The new news is regarding the compensation packages for the Top Man (in the Fortune 500 universe, there are only 24 companies that have female CEOs) and the relationship of that sum to (1) the employees of the […]

Now in its 19th year, the well known CR Magazine “100 Best Corporate Citizens 2018” list was just unveiled; this effort recognizes the ESG performance of public companies in the United States. (The publication is now titled Corporate Responsibility Magazine, published by 3BL Media LLC.) Top Companies: Microsoft (MSFT) earned top ranking (#1), followed by Accenture, Owens Corning, […]

Participants in the Talanoa Dialogue share their stories and insights regarding climate change in one of seven dialogue rooms in Bonn, Germany. May 6, 2018 (Photo courtesy Earth Negotiations Bulletin) Used with permission By Sunny Lewis BONN, Germany, May 8, 2018 (Maximpact.com News) – “We need to dramatically increase our ambitions. We are witnessing the severe […]