BSR Insight Articles About Conflict Minerals

Answering the Call for Mandatory Sustainability Reporting

Chhavi Ghuliani, Manager, Advisory Services

A little over a year ago, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued guidance requiring companies traded publicly in the United States to report on the risks and opportunities their operations face due to climate change. The guidance came after three years of persistent advocacy from a coalition of investors and nonprofits including Ceres, Environmental Defense Fund, and Pax World Management Corporation, and the announcement was hailed as a major breakthrough for investor groups looking to minimize long-term risk in their portfolios. Read more →

Posted: April 5, 2011 | Topics: Conflict Minerals, Reporting & Communications, Stakeholder Relations, Strategy & Integration

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

Responsible Sourcing Network Helps Companies Combat Human Rights Abuses in Supply Chains

Corporate accountability NGO As You Sow recently launched the Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN) in an effort to combat slavery and other human rights abuses in corporate supply chains. RSN provides a space for companies, investors, NGOs, and other stakeholders to share best practices and take coordinated action. RSN is presently working to end forced child labor in Uzbekistan's cotton industry, and addressing the conflict minerals trade in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—where profits help fuel one of the world's bloodiest conflicts. Read more →

Posted: January 11, 2011 | Topics: Conflict Minerals, Consumer Products, Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, Information & Communications Technology, Supply Chain