As the greater landscape of industry shifts beneath our feet, a crucial element is quietly evolving with it: the expectations of investors.
To determine the value of a potential investment, firms have begun using a specific set of criteria designed to evaluate a company’s sustainability. That is to say, how well will the company hold up to environmental scrutiny? How strong are its relationships in its social ecosystem? Is leadership transparent or will they end up in the headlines in a few years?
The US SIF Foundation's Trends Report conducted research on 530 institutional asset owners with $6.2 trillion in ESG assets, equivalent to 51 percent of the $12.01 trillion that money managers identified as institutional assets. Because money managers do not disclose information about their institutional clients, the data received from our direct research of institutional investors shows how and why they incorporate ESG criteria into their investment analysis and portfolio selection.
The turbulent events of year 2020 have fundamentally changed the way many people see the world. They have stirred up a growing desire for change and for action to tackle the burning issues confronting us, such as climate change, inequality, and injustice.
The US SIF Foundation in its new SRI Trends Report identified 384 money managers and 1,204 community investing institutions incorporating ESG criteria into their investment analysis and decision-making processes. The $16.6 trillion in ESG incorporation assets they represent is a nearly 43 percent increase over the $11.6 trillion in such assets identified in 2018.
In terms of assets, money managers incorporate ESG factors fairly evenly across environmental, social and governance categories:.
Herbalife Nutrition has joined the United Nations (“U.N.”) Global Compact, the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world. With this commitment, the company is demonstrating its long-term support of the Sustainable Development Goals(“SDGs”) as outlined in the U.N.
by Jennifer Coombs, associate professor at the College for Financial Planning and the founder of the financial blog, GradMoney. She is the creator, lead author, and lead instructor for the Chartered SRI Counselor™ (CSRIC™) designation program
Multi-stakeholder appointments to GRI’s governance bodies
Press Release
November 17, 2020 /3BL Media/ - GRI, provider of the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting standards, has announced changes to its Board of Directors.
The appointments come at a time when corporate sustainability is high on the global agenda – reinforced by the impact of the pandemic and the need to quicken progress on the Sustainable Development Goals – all of which emphasize GRI’s leadership role as an enabler for transparency and accountability.
The four new Board appointees, which take effect from January 2021, are:
Herbalife Nutrition continues to improve communities as a leading global corporate citizen
Press Release
The Board of Directors of Herbalife Nutrition announced the formation of an ESG committee (environmental, social and governance). This decision was made given the importance of leading in the areas of sustainable, socially responsible and ethical practices.
by Matt Patsky, Jim Madden and Patrick Wollenberg, of Trillium Asset Management
In the ever-evolving landscape of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing, the core philosophy of Trillium has remained the same since it was founded in 1982: provide for the financial needs of our clients while leveraging their capital for positive social and environmental impact in alignment with their values.
by Amy Domini, Founder and Chair of Domini Impact Investments (Amy is widely recognized as the leading voice for socially responsible investing.)
Globally, socially responsible investing is flourishing. Almost as importantly, it means the same thing around the world. I begin with some recent quotes, which I noted over the past few weeks:
• Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, CEO of Bursa Malaysia, “As a frontline regulator and market operator, we want to provide an environment that encourages sustainable practices among our market participants.”
