Publications by Tag: Investor Perspective
Blog
CSR in the EU: Time to Make It Mandatory?
Charlotte Bancilhon, Associate, Advisory Services
The European Commission’s third Communication on CSR has been a long time coming. With mid-October the new projected release date, it’s a good time to look at what may be on the table. Read more
Responsible Private Equity?
Laura Commike Gitman, Managing Director, Advisory Services
Stakeholder expectations, labor unions, conflict minerals, energy reduction, water scarcity. These terms are all commonplace in most of the sustainability or CSR events that I attend, but they are not the concepts usually discussed at a meeting for private equity firms–an industry which has historically been criticized for being ruthless, breaking up companies, and saddling others with debt. Yet last week, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel at the Responsible Investment Forum in New York hosted by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and Private Equity International. There were more than 300 delegates in attendance, most of whom were either general partners (GPs) or limited partners (LPs) in major global private equity firms. More remarkable: most are actively engaged in ESG issues. Read more
Sustainable Entrepreneurship Underway in the Middle East and North Africa
Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
I recently had the opportunity to speak at a session on financing sustainable entrepreneurship during a unique “un”-Conference in Cologne, Germany, on future lifestyles and sustainable entrepreneurship. I joined experts from the socially responsible investment world, impact investors, and serial entrepreneurs to talk about availability of funds and how to mobilize more capital for the creation of new sustainable enterprises. Read more
Debating the Future of Sustainability at the IFC
Julia Nelson, Manager, Advisory Services
This week marks the close of the third and final public consultation period for the review of the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Sustainability Framework. The policies, standards, and guidance notes in the Framework set expectations on social and environmental performance for the financial institutions and companies who receive funds from the IFC (the private sector investment arm of the World Bank Group). Read more
ESG in the Mainstream
Laura Commike Gitman, Managing Director, Advisory Services
With Bloomberg launching a new environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data service for its stock data service subscribers, ESG data are becoming increasingly visible and available to mainstream investors and analysts, even if they're not specifically looking for it. Read more
BSR Insight Articles
Investor Insights: Improving ESG Disclosure by Chinese Companies
Lindsey Lim, Associate, Advisory Services
Cross-sector collaboration is needed to create effective, industry-specific ESG disclosure guidelines for Chinese listed companies. Read more
Shareholder Activism, SRI Identified as Useful Tools for Change
Laura Commike Gitman, Managing Director, Advisory Services
Shareholder activism and socially responsible investing (SRI) are viewed as important tools of social and corporate change, according to a recent SustainAbility and GlobeScan study (available with free registration).The study, which surveyed more than 640 sustainability experts from 77 countries, revealed that shareholder activism is more effective at driving changes in corporate strategy and behavior than other tactics, including public criticism through social and traditional media, dialogue with companies, and civil disobedience. Read more
Advocating a Shift to Sustainable Capitalism
In the face of climate change, water scarcity, poverty, and other challenges, it’s time for a shift to sustainable capitalism, according to a white paper published last month by Generation Investment Management, a firm cofounded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Read more
Explore Our Impact: Videos
Take a deeper dive into the BSR Report 2010 and core areas of our work in video clips that provide personal perspective from BSR staff members. Read more
U.S. ‘Proxy Preview’ Report: Environmental, Social Issues on the Rise
According to As You Sow's "Proxy Preview 2011"—a compendium of the 360 U.S. shareholder resolutions up for vote in 2011—investors now file about 50 percent more resolutions on social and environmental issues than they did 10 years ago. This year’s guide, which provides an overview of the major players, recent regulatory developments, shareholder proposal trends, and new issues, includes highlights such as: Read more
Sustainable Investment in the Middle East and North Africa
Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
The International Finance Corporation recently commissioned BSR to analyze sustainable investment (SI) opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa region. Read more
Trends in Sustainable Investment
Laura Commike Gitman, Managing Director, Advisory Services
Despite the recent economic downturn, sustainable investment is extending beyond the United States and Europe, and into countries where it was previously not widely practiced. Nearly one out of every eight U.S. dollars under professional management in the United States is represented by socially responsible investment (SRI) assets. SRI approaches integrate social and environmental criteria into investment decisions with the goal of aligning financial activities with social and environmental objectives, values, or beliefs, and can include the incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria by money managers, shareholder advocacy, and community investment. According to a 2010 report by the Social Investment Forum, at the start of 2010, professionally managed assets in the United States following SRI strategies amounted to US$3.07 trillion—an increase of more than 34 percent since 2005, compared to 3 percent growth for total assets under management (AUM). The growth in Europe is even more pronounced, with total SRI AUM increasing 87 percent in just two years, from €2.7 trillion to €5 trillion at the end of 2009, according to Eurosif. Read more
Decoding Chinese CSR Reports
Between 2005 and 2009, the number of CSR reports released in China went from less than 10 to more than 500. Unfortunately, this increase in quantity has not necessarily been matched by improved quality. Instead of creating valuable new data for investors, the influx of reports may have just created more for investors to (not) read. Read more
Trends in Investor Sustainability Surveys
As new sustainability issues emerge and practices evolve, so, too, do the investor surveys that track companies' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. BSR has noticed several new trends emerging in these surveys that signal investors' increased sophistication in evaluating companies' ESG performance. Read more
2010 Proxy Preview
Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services
As You Sow's "2010 Proxy Preview" categorizes the hundreds of proxies filed in the United States on social and governance issues, explores important issues, identifies the key investors and organizations filing them, and provides a list of companies and upcoming proxy votes. Read more
Capitalizing on ESG Integration
Mainstream investors are increasingly integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into their decision-making processes. According to a recent BSR report, this shift is exemplified by increased participation in responsible investing, new ESG products from mainstream institutions, greater access to company data (especially ESG data), and a rise in regulation of ESG reporting. Read more
New Report Urges Policymakers to Protect Ecosystems
Linda Hwang, Manager, Research
According to a new report from The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) initiative, policymakers can increase economic returns, jobs, and livelihoods by investing in ecological infrastructure; integrating ecosystem services values into price signals; and creating adequate institutions, regulatory frameworks, and financing opportunities to protect ecosystems. Read more
Will ESG Investing Take Off in China?
Faris Natour, Director, Human Rights
In August, the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and China Securities Index Ltd. launched China’s first index employing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. The new Social Responsibility Index, which uses homegrown ESG methodologies to select stocks, has the stated objectives of encouraging listed companies to actively manage their social and environmental risks and opportunities, providing investors with a new investment benchmark, and popularizing the socially responsible investment concept. Read more
Roundtable Advances Sustainable Investment in China
BSR and the UN Principles for Responsible Investment co-hosted the first-ever sustainable investment event in China last week. More than 30 participants from Chinese and international investment institutions and government agencies joined the roundtable, which featured BSR's new report "Sustainable Investment in China 2009." Part of BSR's broader efforts to raise awareness of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, the event provided a forum for participants to exchange perspectives and experiences. Read more
Bloomberg Launches ESG Data Service
Bloomberg's new environment, social, and governance (ESG) data service allows investors to search and compare relevant ESG data on 3,000-plus public and private companies. Users have access to a wide range of numerical and qualitative data, ranging from companies' emissions and energy consumption to their human rights policies and the size of their boards of directors. Read more
Integrating Financial and Corporate Responsibility Reporting
Dunstan Allison Hope, Managing Director, Advisory Services
In its 2008 report, United Technologies Corporation included corporate responsibility (CR) topics that have a direct impact on the company’s financial performance, such as energy efficiency, throughout the report. The company also devoted a separate section of its report to its overall CR strategy and performance. Read more
Environmental, Social, and Governance Practices in Large Emerging Markets
According to a recent review by the Ethical Investment Research Service, Sustainable Investment Research Analyst Network, and the Social Investment Forum, corporate responsibility practices—especially those related to board practice, bribery, human rights, supply chain labor standards, health and safety, environment, climate change, and biodiversity—are gaining traction in companies based in emerging markets such as Brazil, China, India, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and Taiwan. Read more
The Value of Using Environmental, Social, and Governance Criteria in Mainstream Investing
Laura Commike Gitman, Managing Director, Advisory Services
Many mainstream investors have begun to use environmental, social, and governance criteria (ESG) to inform their investment decisions. According to Thomson Reuters' 2008 survey of 25 global buy-side investors, 84 percent claimed to evaluate ESG criteria. And in a 2009 Responsible-Investor.com survey of 75 respondents representing more than US$28 trillion in assets under management, 60 percent said they use an ESG strategy for at least a portion of their assets, and 73 percent believe that asset owner interest has grown since 2008 as a result of stakeholder, political, and regulatory pressure, as well as risk management. Read more
Events
BSR Conference 2011: Leadership Required
Leadership in business is changing fast. In today’s global, integrated, and transparent world, business is expected to do more than deliver shareholder returns. At its best, business is a creative force and an integral player in delivering prosperity for 9 billion people, applying game-changing technologies for social benefit, and radically reducing our use of natural resources. Learn more
ESG Investment and Implications for the Energy and Extractives Sector
Following our Sustainability Matters webinar on integrating ESG issues into investor relations, BSR will host a webinar for energy and extractives members to discuss the implications of these trends on the sector. Given increasing attention from both mainstream and socially responsible investors, there is a critical need to understand investor expectations as well as explore potential impacts on company management. Learn more
Asia Socially Responsible Investment Roundtable
Socially responsible investment (SRI) is the practice of integrating environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and corporate governance (ESG) considerations into the investment process. It is not only a means of risk mitigation for financial institutions, but also a powerful lever for shifting to a more sustainable global economy. Learn more
Reports
Asia Socially Responsible Investment Roundtable: Summary Transcript
On March 31, 2011, BSR, Sumitomo Trust & Banking, and AEGON-INDUSTRIAL Fund Management jointly held the “Asia Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Roundtable” in Beijing. This was the first roundtable in China convening representatives from three major Asian counties (Japan, Korea, and China) to discuss SRI development and practices. More than 50 representatives, including asset owners, asset managers, ESG researchers, indices, individual investors, government agencies, academics, and NGOs were represented at the roundtable. Read more
Sustainable Investment in China 2009
BSR's recently-released "Sustainable Investment in China 2009" is the first research of its kind on the topic, according the World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation, which commissioned the report. Available in a full-length version and as a shortened overview, the report surveys the sustainable investment (SI) landscape in China, identifies the challenges associated with the nascent field, and makes recommendations for speeding up the growth of the SI market. Read more
ESG in the Mainstream: The Role for Companies and Investors in Environmental, Social, and Governance Integration
With Bloomberg launching a new environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data service for its stock data service subscribers, ESG data are becoming increasingly visible and available to mainstream investors and analysts, even if they're not specifically looking for it. Read more
Environmental, Social and Governance: Ready for Mainstream Investing?
Understand the hurdles keeping environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria from gaining wide acceptance among mainstream investors, plus discover the potential solutions to overcoming the barriers preventing ESG progress in our latest report. Read more
Word from the Street: Water
This brief includes a set of guidelines, described in the Water & Finance Workstream of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative publication “Half Full or Half Empty?”, which companies can use to evaluate their level of risk exposure to water constraints in order to respond to the growing community of investors and financiers who are including water criteria in their investment decisions. Read more
Word from the Street: Toxicity & Health
This brief includes a framework companies can use to evaluate their level of risk exposure to issues surrounding toxicity and health in order to respond to the growing community of institutional investors, investment advisers and investors who have incorporated environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into their investment decision-making. Read more
Sustainability Matters
Integrating ESG in Investor Relations
The incorporation of ESG criteria into investment analysis continues to grow among mainstream investors. Signatories to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment have increased from 50 to more than 850 in the last four years, representing US$22 trillion in assets, or 10 percent of total global capital markets. Asset managers from Deutsche Bank to Goldman Sachs to State Street Global Advisors have all developed products focused on ESG integration. Learn more
Preparing for the 2011 Proxy Voting Season
Proxy voting is an important tool that many investors use to show their support for ESG issues, with a goal of garnering attention for areas they view as critical to a company's business.
Learn moreESG in the Mainstream
In this webinar, you will learn about the latest trends in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) integration among mainstream investors, and what your company should do to both prepare for this increasing investor focus and evolve your ESG communications. Learn more
Other Publications & Events Tagged, Investor Perspective
- Blog [ 5 ]
- BSR Conference Session Summaries [ 0 ]
- BSR Insight Articles [ 18 ]
- BSR Review [ 0 ]
- Case Studies [ 0 ]
- Events [ 3 ]
- Research Reports [ 6 ]
- Sustainable Investment in China Article [ 0 ]
- Sustainability Matters [ 3 ]
BSR member-only content; valid login required.