ESG

NGOs Push Stronger Governance of Diamond Industry

June 16, 2016

A press release from a coalition of nongovernmental organizations calls on governments and companies in the diamond industry to strengthen legal due diligence and reporting mandates in line with standards from the UN and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to prevent the funding of conflicts through diamond sales.
Paper Examines Effects of China's "Green Finance"

June 16, 2016

Olaf Weber of the Centre for International Governance Innovation examines the effects of China's Green Credit Policy on the implementation of the global social and environmental agendas by banks in the country.
Companies Launch Climate Plans at Global Conference

June 15, 2016

Businesses including tech companies Microsoft and Google recently used the Clean Energy Ministerial global intergovernmental conference in San Francisco, California, to publish their plans to work toward an economic transition to 100% renewable energy to combat climate change.
NGO Warns of Climate Risks in Housing Sector

June 13, 2016

The nongovernmental organization Climate Institute has called on the Australian national, state, and local governments to lead efforts toward publicizing information it says insurers and banks are secretly holding regarding costly risks of climate change to homeowners in the country.
UN Partners with Bank on Green Bond System

June 13, 2016

Bloomberg reports that the UN is partnering with French bank BNP Paribas to develop a credible market for "green bonds," which fund projects that use renewable energy to counter climate change.
Lundin Petroleum Produces Sustainability Report

June 10, 2016

Swedish oil and gas company Lundin Petroleum has published its first annual Sustainability Report under the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative to demonstrate how it is working to implement the UN's social and environmental agenda.
Activist Seeks State Action on Supply Chain Labor

June 09, 2016

Labor activist Claire Falconer writes that governments relying on a business-centered reporting system on forced work in their supply chains are shirking their duties to protect against labor exploitation and should produce regulations requiring businesses to respond to such problems.
GRI Conference Pushes Human Rights Reporting

June 09, 2016

At its 5th Global Conference, the Global Reporting Initiative hosted a discussion linking the UN's sustainability agenda and corporate human rights reporting standards and agreed to partner with the Danish Institute on Human Rights to push for national action plans on the UN's business and human rights agenda that include human rights and sustainability reporting.
Companies Face Complex Array of Reporting Policies

June 09, 2016

A report released by the UN Environment Programme, KPMG International, the Global Reporting Initiative, and the Centre for Corporate Governance in Africa shows the expanding effect of the encouragement of corporate reporting policies around the world but highlights the difficulties of businesses in navigating a complex array of competing reporting standards.
GRI Conference Focuses on Business Climate Data

June 09, 2016

At a recent conference hosted by the Global Reporting Initiative, speakers called for a new global framework pushing comprehensive corporate disclosure of risks associated with moving away from greenhouse gas emissions and countering climate change.