News & Commentaries
S&P 500 Firms Expand Sustainability Data in Financial Filings, But Slow to Adopt Fully Integrated Reporting.
"78 percent of S&P 500 companies issue a sustainability report… Among companies that issue sustainability reports, 95 percent offer quantified, annually comparable environmental performance metrics; two-thirds set quantified and time-bound environmental goals. Some 86 percent offer social performance metrics, but only 40 percent set quantified social goals." [COMMENTARY]Many companies may not acknowledge climate change, but…
Research Links Financial and Corporate Sustainability (ESG) Performance.
"Based on 642 North American sustainability reports for the 2017 reporting period, CSE created a unique analysis framework. It identifies correlations between Sustainability (ESG) performance and Financial results." [COMMENTARY]The press release gives little information on their findings. However, you candownload for free the report by providing your contact information. What quickly stood out for me…
Clean finance needs to include traditionally ‘dirty′ industries.
"We need mechanisms that finance climate-friendly projects, not only for solar panels and transit tracks, but also for a massive transition in carbon-intensive industries. The federal [Canadian] government′s expert panel on sustainable finance shares that view, and in October endorsed “transition-linked financial products” to help channel green investment to high-emitting industries." [COMMENTARY]The transition to a…
Big data, ESG ratings help find alpha.
"This has fundamental implications for how chief sustainability officers and business leaders work with the broader ecosystem. The higher price of corporate sustainability poses a challenge for ESG investors: they need to ask if they are getting good value for money. It is not only a matter of the value of corporate sustainability anymore, it…
US SIF Foundation Releases 2018 Biennial Report On US Sustainable, Responsible And Impact Investing Trends.
"The US SIF Foundation’s 2018 biennial Report on US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends, released today, found that sustainable, responsible and impact investing (SRI) assets now account for $12.0 trillion—or one in four dollars—of the $46.6 trillion in total assets under professional management in the United States. This represents a 38 percent increase over…
Does ethical investment withhold capital from those that most need it?
Charlie Robertson of Renaissance Capital, an investment bank, reckons ESG risks becoming code for something else: an excuse for investors to put all of their money in Scandinavia. Prosperous havens rate highly on the criteria ESG investors employ. By contrast, the emerging economies that interest Mr Robertson do badly." [COMMENTARY]This is an interesting argument, particularly…
