Transparency International calls on governments to crack down on foreign bribery

Many leading economies are failing to stop their companies from spreading corruption around the world, anti-corruption group Transparency International warned today in its annual progress report on enforcement of the OECD anti-bribery convention. Fifteen years after the entry into force of the convention, only four of 41 countries signed up are actively investigating and prosecuting […] ... lees meer

New (2014) edition of the Global Green Economy Index

The new (2014) edition of the Global Green Economy Index™ (GGEI) has been published. It measures both the green economic performance of 60 countries and how experts assess that performance.  The GGEI performance index uses quantitative and qualitative indicators to measure how well each country performs on four key dimensions: leadership & climate change, efficiency sectors, markets […] ... lees meer

Introducing the new EFQM Committed to Sustainability

In 2014, many organisations may say they understand the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability, but can they really demonstrate the integration of these concepts into the way they work? When the EFQM Excellence Model was first issued in 1992, the inclusion of a criterion called “Impact on Society” caused the most discussion. […] ... lees meer

Just 3% of the world’s large listed companies report on all basic sustainability metrics

A study has revealed that only three per cent of the world’s largest listed companies* report on all basic sustainability metrics. In their third annual study, “Measuring Sustainability Disclosure: Ranking the World’s Stock Exchanges”, investment advisory and research firm Corporate Knights Capital, researched how well global stock exchanges encourage listed companies to disclose basic corporate responsibility […] ... lees meer

Growing business focus on sustainability in emerging markets

With momentum building towards the UN Climate Change Conference in Peru, new figures from Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR), a survey of 2,500 companies in 34 economies, reveal that businesses leaders in emerging markets are more focused on the sustainability of their operations compared with peers in developed markets. This is the key finding […] ... lees meer

UN Global Compact Releases Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines

The United Nations Global Compact – an initiative encouraging sustainable and socially responsible policies for businesses worldwide – released its finalized Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines on September 30. The guidelines set out a common approach for businesses to disclose their water management practices to stakeholders. “Sustainable water management and advancing a common approach to disclosure […] ... lees meer

Time for diversity: Accelerating performance in corporate boardrooms

EY examined how boards can capitalize on diversity to improve their own performance, particularly with regard to managing risk, while they prepare for the possible introduction of quotas at the same time. For this report, board chairs and non-executives from Europe and other regions shared their views on this important topic. The business case for […] ... lees meer

European Council agreed new directive non-financial reporting

The European Commission welcomes today’s adoption by the Council of the Directive on disclosure of non-financial and diversity information by large companies and groups. Companies concerned will disclose information on policies, risks and outcomes as regards environmental matters, social and employee-related aspects, respect for human rights, anti-corruption and bribery issues, and diversity on boards of […] ... lees meer

Game-changing collective commitment to climate change disclosure as matter of fiduciary duty

Leading group of corporations and investors commit to report climate change in mainstream corporate reports as a matter of fiduciary duty. View the Statement on fiduciary duty and climate change disclosure. As the effects of climate change on economic activity become more significant, there is increasing demand from investors, trustees and other fiduciaries for consistent, […] ... lees meer

New report highlights relationship between business leadership on climate action and financial profitability

A new report released by CDP today presents evidence that S&P 500 industry leaders that are actively managing and planning for climate-change: Generate superior profitability: 18% higher ROE than peers and 67% higher than companies who do not disclose on climate change; Ensure more stability: 50% lower volatility of earnings over the past decade than […] ... lees meer

UN and leading investors launch Coalition to decarbonize institutional investment worldwide

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has invited leaders from government, finance, business and civil society to bring bold announcements and actions on climate change to the Summit. In response, a group of leading institutional investors – including two of the largest asset managers, and pension funds in Europe – have joined forces with the United Nations Environment Programme and […] ... lees meer