Event: Net Impact Approaches Conference on Tuesday 22nd May 2018
See below for more information on a conference exploring the latest in companies measuring, valuing, and setting target for environmental and social impacts for reporting and decision-making.
Responsible Investment
Bursa Malaysia launches info hub on corporate governance and sustainability
Bursa Malaysia has launched BursaSustain, a comprehensive online portal designed as a one-stop knowledge and information hub on corporate governance and sustainability. Bursa said the hub aims to “provide a platform for users, such as listed issuers, investors and other key stakeholders, to have easy access to the latest information on corporate governance and sustainability.” Bursa hopes the website will help catalyse issuers to adopt and implement quality corporate governance and sustainable practices, and improve quality of disclosures and bring reporting up to international standards. The hub will also inform investors on responsible investment and Islamic finance, with case studies and value propositions which will provide examples demonstrating the benefits of responsible investing. This initiative is part of the stock exchange’s continuous efforts to ensure inclusiveness that will further enhance market quality and attractiveness. (Edge Markets)
Corporate Citizenship disclosure: As lead content provider for the BursaSustain portal, Corporate Citizenship is working with Bursa Malaysia to provide comprehensive, up-to-date information and trends to further integrate responsible business practices amongst their key stakeholders.
60 investors call for oil and gas groups to step up climate change efforts
Aberdeen Standard Investments, Axa Investment Managers and 58 other big investors have demanded oil and gas companies intensify their efforts on climate change, in the clearest sign yet that asset managers and pension funds are increasingly concerned about the financial impact of global warming. In an open letter to the Financial Times, the investors, which oversee almost $10.5 trillion in assets, call for the oil and gas industry to be “more transparent and take responsibility for all its emissions”. The investors suggested that all companies in the sector should clarify how they see their future in a low-carbon world, “This should involve making concrete commitments to substantially reduce carbon emissions, assessing the impact of emissions from the use of their products and explaining how the investments they make today in energy sources and technologies are compatible and consistent with a pathway towards the Paris goal.” The letter comes ahead of a controversial vote at Royal Dutch Shell’s annual meeting regarding the group’s alignment with the Paris climate agreement. (Financial Times*)
Lawsuits
Employers face landmark legal action over sexual harassment
Four major employers face a landmark legal action over the sexual harassment of staff, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has announced. Organisations in the legal and education sectors could be subject to an official investigation by the Government-funded office after staff came forward to complain of ill treatment. The identity of the employers is unknown as the Commission has not yet decided whether to launch the investigations, but the Daily Telegraph understands that they are high-profile within their sectors. The announcement comes after the commission’s report earlier in 2018 found that “corrosive” working cultures had silenced victims and normalised harassment. The EHRC has launched only one other such investigation within the past few years, into unlawful harassment, discrimination and victimisation of black, female and gay police officers in the Metropolitan Police. (Telegraph)
Water
Chilean villagers claim British appetite for avocados is draining region dry
British supermarkets are selling thousands of tonnes of avocados produced in a Chilean region where villagers claim vast amounts of water are being diverted, resulting in a drought. Major UK supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose, Aldi and Lidl source avocados from Chile’s largest avocado-producing province, Petorca, where water rights have been violated. In Petorca, many avocado plantations install illegal pipes and wells to divert water from rivers to irrigate their crops. As a result, villagers say rivers have dried up and groundwater levels have fallen, causing a regional drought. Two thousand litres of water are needed to produce just one kilo of avocados – four times the amount needed to produce a kilo of oranges, and 10 times what is needed to produce a kilo of tomatoes, according to the Water Footprint Network. The British Retail Consortium, which represents the major supermarkets, said the stores had been made aware of the allegations and would investigate. (Guardian)
Waste
National Geographic launches effort to reduce plastic waste
National Geographic has launched a new campaign to reduce waste from plastic products like single-use bags and straws, which includes a major change: most National Geographic magazines will now be delivered in paper packaging instead of plastic. The launch of “Planet or Plastics?” initiative coincides with the magazine’s June issue, which has a photo of a plastic bag positioned like an iceberg on the cover. Company officials said in a press release that from now on the US, UK and India editions of the magazine will be delivered in paper instead of plastic, which the release said will eliminate 2.5 million single-use plastic bags every month. In addition to changing the packaging of its own magazine, the National Geographic initiative will include an awareness campaign about plastics pollution, investment in research programs and partnerships with companies like S’Well and The North Face, which sells shirts made from recycled bottles collected from US National Parks. (ABC News)
Event
2018 Net Impact Approaches Conference (22.05.2018), 15 Hatfields, London
Building upon the success of the 2017 event, this conference will bring together the different communities involved in Net Impact Approaches to: share best practice, highlight key initiatives and approaches, move the topic forwards by addressing pressing issues, and facilitate collaboration with key players.
Corporate Citizenship Briefing is delighted to be supporting the conference again. We are pleased to be able to offer a 10% discount for CCB subscribers members using this link https://netimpactapproaches2018.eventbrite.com/?aff=CCB and promotional code CCBNIA18).
Sustainability leaders contributing to this event include: Schroders, UNEP WCMC, Solvay, Olam, Yorkshire Water, Interface, Novartis, Forum for the Future and more.
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