“The Humankind 100 companies are ranked based onHumankind Value, a proprietary metric that provides an estimate of the overall dollar amount a company creates for investors, consumers, employees, and society at large, and are therefore among the most ethical companies in the United States, according to our research.” [COMMENTARY]Though Humankind purports a unique methodology, they…

“Together these findings suggest that there is no clear consensus among investors that corporations should, or should not, promote social causes at the expense of their financial gains. More than anything, the split in investors’ social preferences that we observe is a reflection of a political divide between individuals who support relatively progressive causes and…

? “The current discourse on environmental, social, and governance investing yields two irresistible conclusions. The first is that fiduciary duty prohibits ESG investing. The second is that fiduciary duty mandates ESG investing. Wait, what? The situation is confusing, to say the least.” [COMMENTARY]It seems to me that fund fiduciaries must account for ESG effects on…

“This and other non-GAAP reporting is expanding, with virtually no generally accepted guidance and little assurance. The reports are not comparable, are prepared using multiple guiding frameworks, and are generally unaudited. The accounting profession must address the relevance of these reports and the reliability of this new information.” [COMMENTARY]This article stresses the urgent need for…

“There is a need to catch up in reporting on risks related to the diversity of species and ecosystems (biodiversity): Here, only 29 percent of the German ‘Top 100’ see a loss as a business risk (worldwide: 40 percent).” [COMMENTARY]Most investors do not demand that companies measure how declining biodiversity, in particular, may affect corporate…

“After years of increasingly vocal demand for enhanced transparency about ESG matters from investors and other stakeholders, regulators and standard setters in various jurisdictions issued definitive proposals to transform ESG reporting in 2022. So far this year, proposed ESG disclosures have been released in the European Union (EU) as part of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting…

“Thisstudy, first published on journal Joule on 13thSeptember this year, used a probabilistic modelling technique which predicts how the cost of renewable energy technologies will decrease over time, using the evolution in cost of over 50 other technologies to test the model. This estimate predicts trillions in savings, without accounting for the savings from avoiding…

“Fund managers marketing products into each of the jurisdictions will be likely be set down a path of differentiated, not harmonised, disclosures.” [COMMENTARY]A good and detailed analysis and comparison of the different ESG regulations in major global financial jurisdictions.Comparing ESG disclosure rules for funds in the EU, UK and the US — SFDR, SDR and…

“Many mining and minerals businesses are already taking active steps on their ESG agenda, identifying their priorities and measuring their performance. In our experience, the real benefits come when you move beyond measurement and take action to improve.” [COMMENTARY]Ethical and sustainable investors have few, if any, mining stocks in their portfolios. They generally believe mining…

“Billionaires likeElon Muskcall it a ‘scam,’ consumers and business leaders see it as astrategic priorityto develop more sustainable business models, while governments are implementing ESG standards as a way toact in the public’s interest.” [COMMENTARY]This article provides a useful perspective on defining ESG and how it might be understood from differing perspectives.We Need to Create…

“In a common energy industry measure known as ‘levelized cost,’ nuclear’s minimum price is about$131 per megawatt-hour, which is at least twice the price of natural gas and coal, and four times the cost of utility-scale solar and onshore wind power installations. And the high price of nuclear power doesn’t include its extraneous costs, such…

“Martis explained to The Center Square that the manufacturing and transportation of turbines to their destination typically requires overseas shipping to U.S. ports, followed by over-the-road transport requiring several diesel-fueled 18-wheel semi-trucks per turbine.” [COMMENTARY]Though this article makes some interesting points, they might be invalidated due to the author’s reliance on studies many years old.Experts…

“Companies are more likely to take corporate social responsibility seriously if they have more women on their board of directors, new University of Sydney Business School research reveals.” [COMMENTARY]Here’s another good quote from the article, “Our research indicates that improving gender parity on corporate boards reaps benefits by improving governance structure in the form of…

“We do not expect the controversy about ESG investing to disappear anytime soon. Much of it is healthy, such as correcting for excessive claims that an ESG fund ‘will make the world a better place’ when there is no demonstrable way to show that it will. Conservatives who complain that ESG investing is a way…

“A new review from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) analyses over 600 peer-reviewed articles on 100 percent renewable energy systems. ‘The main conclusion of most of these studies is that 100 percent renewables is feasible worldwide at low cost,’” the report determines.” [COMMENTARY]My concerns about material shortages are apparently dealt with in…

“The same day Texas released its version of the index prohibitorum, it emerged that California would ban gasoline-powered cars by 2035. Now one can, of course, say that policy is misguided or too costly; that is a valid debate. But to say that firms lending to or investing in the oil industry shouldn’t factor in…

“Passive sustainable funds are growing strongly. But investors in these funds are at risk of a mismatch between what they expect and the reality of what they receive.” [COMMENTARY]This article’s author makes a strong case for active investing. That is where funds are actively managed compared to passive management of, say, an index or most…

“Util — a financial technology company with a focus on sustainability — has published a report ranking the top ten positive — and negative — contributing investment funds for each of the 17 SDGs.” [COMMENTARY]Two of the most interesting points are that firstly, the report finds that markets favor big companies as they can provide…

“The evidence against claims related to ‘woke’ capitalism is thin. Both sides of the ESG debate make valid points while being simultaneously guilty of overstating their case relative to the observed data.” [COMMENTARY]The author is a professor at the Columbia School of Business. He seeks in this and future articles to examine all aspects of…

“To summarize, the analysis found that companies with higher initial ESG ratings experience greater subsequent stability of dividends and a lower likelihood of cutting or eliminating their dividends. Low ESG ratings do not necessarily mean poor dividend growth, but companies with high ESG ratings appear to consistently deliver higher dividend growth. Finally, equity ESG indices…