All Articles About Investor Perspective

BSR Insight Article: 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 →

Posted: April 12, 2011 | Topics: Environment, Investor Perspective, Reporting & Communications, Stakeholder Relations, Strategy & Integration

Blog: Debating the Future of Sustainability at the IFC

Julia Nelson, Former 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 →

Posted: March 3, 2011 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, Human Rights, Investor Perspective, Water

BSR Insight Article: 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 →

Posted: February 18, 2011 | Topics: Investor Perspective

BSR Insight Article: Trends in Sustainable Investment

Xin Zhuo, Former Manager, Advisory Services Laura 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 →

Posted: February 14, 2011 | Topics: Conflict Minerals, Financial Services, Investor Perspective, Strategy & Integration

BSR Insight Article: Decoding Chinese CSR Reports

Xin Zhuo, Former Manager, Advisory Services

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 →

Posted: September 7, 2010 | Topics: Investor Perspective, Reporting & Communications