ESG

GRI Partners with Tech Consultancy on Sustainability Reporting

March 29, 2016

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") has announced that it is partnering with technology consulting company Tata Consultancy Services to advance the use of "big data" in corporate reporting on environmental and social information to help advance the global agenda on sustainability.
GRI Promotes Sustainability Reporting in Asia

March 28, 2016

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") is hosting a meeting in Manila to encourage political and business leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ("ASEAN") to push, through both voluntary and regulatory action, corporate reporting on the implementation of the UN's sustainable development agenda.
GSSB Announces Consultation on Sustainability Standards

March 28, 2016

The Global Sustainability Standards Board ("GSSB"), created by the Global Reporting Initiative, has announced that it will open consultation in the coming months on its development of a set of global business reporting standards updating sustainability guidelines to take into account the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement.
Apple Issues $1.5 Billion "Green Bond"

March 23, 2016

The Guardian reports that, amid pressure from nongovernmental organizations and others to fund the global environmental agenda and report progress, technology company Apple has announced that it has issued a "green bond" through which it will seek $1.5 billion for environmentally friendly projects.
France Requires Disclosure of Climate, Social Financial Risks

March 17, 2016

The Climate Law Blog at Columbia Law School reports that the French Government has issued a decree requiring institutional investors to publicize how the companies in which they invest report environmental and social information and to disclose risks caused by climate change in their investments.
World Bank, ISO Collaborate on Global Standards

March 16, 2016

The World Bank Group has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") to highlight the use of ISO's international standards in promoting "open, fair and transparent trade."
Gap Reports Compliance with UN Sustainability Agenda

March 10, 2016

Vikas Vij writes that, following its release of a "sustainability report" containing data on its compliance with the UN's environmental and social agendas, apparel company Gap Inc. has announced that it will further pursue the sustainability goals set out by the UN and activists by cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by fifty percent from 2015 levels by the year 2020.
EU Backs Rules on Corporate Tax Reporting

March 09, 2016

Politico reports that the Council of the EU has agreed to support rules requiring corporations to report to EU member states financial information from operations in every country in which they are located, as the European Commission prepares a proposal that would also require companies to disclose this information to the public.
GRI Seeks Corporate Reporting on Gender Equality Measures

March 09, 2016

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") describes the pressure it has placed on businesses around the world to report on their efforts to further gender equality, including through equal pay and leadership diversity initiatives.
California Emissions Tax Costs Billions

March 04, 2016

Bloomberg reports that California's "cap-and-trade" system, which effectively taxes businesses on the carbon emissions they release, is costing some energy companies hundreds of millions of dollars per year and the entire industry approximately $3 billion, most of which will likely be passed on to consumers.