ESG

Norway Fund Divests from Companies Active in Coal

April 27, 2016

Bloomberg reports that, to begin its compliance with a ban on coal investments passed last year by the Norwegian Parliament, Norway's sovereign wealth fund Norges Bank has removed its financing from 52 companies with over 30% of their activity or sales in coal.
WWF Pushes Sustainability Standards for Consumer Goods in Asia

April 26, 2016

The nongovernmental organization WWF has published a guide for Asian companies dealing in "fast moving consumer goods" on how to implement the UN's sustainability agenda through international supply-chain and environmental standards.
NGO Responds to Apple Report with Packaging Critique

April 26, 2016

Greenpeace's response to technology company Apple's annual Environmental Progress Report praises the company on its greenhouse gas emissions pledges but criticizes the company for reliance on what the nongovernmental organization considers the wrong global standards for sourcing sustainable packaging.
Oxfam Calls for Global Response to US Corporate Tax Avoidance

April 22, 2016

Pointing to the use by large US corporations of offshore subsidiaries to store their funds, the nongovernmental organization Oxfam has called for governments around the world to collaborate "to end the era of tax havens" to fund the UN's social and environmental rights agenda and has argued for US corporate financial reporting on a country-by-country basis.
Ericsson Report Describes Support for SDGs

April 20, 2016

In its latest Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report, communications technology company Ericsson summarizes how it has worked to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals ("SDGs") and other aspects of the UN's environmental and social agenda in its operations.
GRI Releases Sustainability Standards for Comment

April 20, 2016

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") has announced that it has released a draft version of Sustainability Reporting Standards, which provide a process for businesses to disclose their progress in implementing the UN's sustainable development agenda, for public comment.
GRI, IOE Sign Deal to Advance "Sustainability"

April 20, 2016

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") and the International Organisation of Employers ("IOE") have signed an agreement to collaborate on encouraging businesses to implement the UN's "sustainable development" agenda, including by pushing small and medium-sized companies to disclose their progress on sustainability.
German Minister Pushes Global Governance on "Tax Havens"

April 18, 2016

In the wake of the "Panama Papers" financial information leak, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has called for global governance to stop "tax evasion" and for the development of a tax information exchange system that prevents banks from using foreign "tax havens" with little to no financial reporting requirements to store their funds.
UN-backed Initiative Targets Businesswomen on Climate Change

April 18, 2016

The Guardian reports that a new, UN-supported initiative called "Two Degrees of Change" is calling on women in business leadership roles to promote the UN's climate change agenda on their corporate boards.
Institutional Investors Back ExxonMobil Climate Scrutiny

April 18, 2016

Reuters reports that the Church Commissioners for England has announced support among institutional investors for a shareholder resolution it recently proposed that would require energy company ExxonMobil to disclose the impacts of climate change policies on its business.