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Research/Indices & Rankings
Rate the Raters 2019: DJSI and CDP identified as leaders by experts on
ESG ratings
In an effort to help inform company and investor decision making around ESG ratings, UK-based think tank and advisory firm SustainAbility produced a research report to provide updated data on perceptions of ESG ratings. Titled ‘Rate the Raters’, the report outlines the results from the hundreds of survey responses, most of them from corporate practitioners in Europe and North America with more than five years of experience in sustainability. The perspectives of sustainability experts on ratings have evolved since the original 2012 survey but still broadly align with those past findings. In 2018 as in 2012, survey respondents consistently identify RobecoSAM, who are behind the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and CDP as leaders. Both MSCI and Sustainalytics also receive favourable reviews. Together, experts consider these four ratings a distinct top four compared to all other ratings covered in the 2018 survey. With the number of ratings continuing to grow, respondents’ highlighted that a top priority for the future of ratings is better comparability and consistency across the landscape. This is closely followed by continued improvements on disclosure, quality of methodologies, and greater focus on material issues. (SustainAbility)
Most diversity executives say they lack power to push change
Public commitments and pledges aside, most diversity and inclusion executives say their employers don’t make their work a priority, even as discrimination scandals grow more costly, according to new analysis from executive recruiter Russell Reynolds Associates. A little more than half of the largest U.S. companies still don’t have a top-level executive dedicated to nurturing a diverse workforce. Among professionals in that role, most say their goals aren’t high on the list of company’s priorities, according to a survey released by Russell Reynolds. About two out of three of the current diversity executives were appointed or promoted to their current role within the last three years and about half of them also have other duties within the firm, according to the analysis that surveyed 97 executives. The study also found that only about 35 percent of companies are capturing the demographic data they need to see if diversity initiatives are working. (Bloomberg)
Governance/ Supply Chain
Amazon moves to end the scourge of fake goods on its platform
Amazon unveiled its ‘Project Zero’ initiative allowing participating brands to use a self-service tool to take down counterfeit listings. Merchants have long complained that Amazon’s lax policing of counterfeits has cost them sales and compromised their brands. The retailer aims to fix that through the initiative which streamlines the process that required brands to make a report, then wait for Amazon to investigate and take action. The Counterfeit Report, an advocacy group that works with companies to stop the sale of counterfeit products, says on its website that an estimated 13 percent of all products sold on Amazon are fake. The group says e-commerce is an ideal means of distribution for counterfeit products. The Project Zero rollout follows Amazon’s first public acknowledgment of the “risk factor” that unlawful merchants pose to its business. In early February, Amazon acknowledged it “may be unable” to keep sellers from making money off counterfeits, according to a filing for the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Washington Post)*
Consumers/ Responsible Investment
MasterCard, Doconomy launch the future of sustainable payments
MasterCard has partnered with fintech startup Doconomy to help consumers combat climate change through their purchases with a new app called DO – a free, easy-to-use mobile banking service that lets users track, understand and reduce their CO2 footprints through carbon offsetting. The app let users’ values guide their everyday consumption towards more sustainable choices and enables carbon offsetting via UN-certified projects. As part of the service, DO offers the ability to invest in funds with a positive social and environmental impacts — giving the consumer insights into the environmental effects of their consumption, paired with tools for creating change by making sustainable choices. In addition to offering users to make their consumption more sustainable, customers can also apply for the physical, climate-friendly and biodegradable DO MasterCard payment card which is printed with recycled carbon emissions (Air-Ink) and with no magnetic strip. (Sustainable Brands)
Sustainable Fashion
Landsec launches textile take-back scheme to combat fast-fashion
UK property developer Landsec is launching a fashion take-back scheme at one of the UK’s largest shopping centres in a bid to encourage consumers to divert used textiles from landfill. The firm will roll out recycling collection points for used and unwanted clothes at its Westgate shopping centre in Oxford next week, with all collected garments being sent for either reuse or recycling based on their condition. Called ‘Spring Clean, Think Green’, the scheme will run for a month, alongside awareness activities aiming to educate shoppers about the impact recycling clothes can have on the environment and economy. In order to ensure that the project is accessible to consumers, clothing from any brand will be accepted. The launch of the scheme comes shortly after the Environmental Audit Committee published the final report from its inquiry into the environmental and social impacts of the UK’s fashion sector, which revealed that the UK is buying and disposing clothes at a faster rate than consumers in any other European nation. (Edie)
