ESG

Norway Pursues UN Coal Divestment Campaign

June 10, 2015

The Guardian reports that the Norwegian Parliament has endorsed legislation that seeks to implement the UN's and activists' fossil fuel divestment agenda by removing investments from coal projects around the world, affecting at least 122 companies.
US Oil and Gas Companies Steer Clear of Climate Coalition

June 10, 2015

US oil and gas companies Chevron and Exxon have announced that they will not join a coalition of their counterparts in Europe calling for a tax on carbon emissions because they wish to maintain control of their message in UN negotiations on climate change.
GRI Prioritizes Global Sustainability Agenda

June 10, 2015

The Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") has announced that it will center its strategy on working with national governments and corporations to push reporting by businesses on their implementation of the international sustainability agenda.
GRI Predicts Real-time Corporate Sustainability Reporting

June 03, 2015

The Global Reporting Initiative, which produces international standards for public corporate reporting, has called on businesses to be prepared in the coming decade for increased pressure to provide real-time, digital reporting on their efforts to implement global sustainability standards.
UN Calls on Countries to Adopt "Climate Finance" Agenda

June 02, 2015

A new report from the UN Environment Programme pressures countries to adopt broad financial policies that divert investments from fossil fuel projects and resources and require public reporting by companies on climate issues in order to combat global warming.
NGO Reviews Push for "Responsible" Corporate Tax Practice

May 22, 2015

The nongovernmental organization ActionAid has published a report reviewing proposals for "tax responsibility" of corporations that will serve as the basis for a discussion paper pressing companies not to engage in tax avoidance and to fully report their tax practices to the public.
EU Parliament Seeks Mandatory Conflict Minerals Certification

May 20, 2015

The European Parliament has voted to reject an EU Commission proposal for a voluntary due diligence system for use of "conflict minerals" from war-torn areas in Africa, calling in its place for mandatory certification of European companies sourcing these materials to show they did not contribute to human rights abuses.
Nestlé Uses GRI's Corporate Reporting Mechanism

May 13, 2015

The nongovernmental organization Global Reporting Initiative has published a feature examining food and beverage company Nestlé's use of its G4 reporting guidelines to explain how it is implementing the international social and environmental agenda.
ISO Publishes "Map" of Corporate Reporting Standards

May 12, 2015

Illustrating the complexity of competing international business and human rights and corporate social responsibility standards, the International Organization for Standardization ("ISO") has published a "landscape map" to help businesses navigate various corporate reporting standards.
Unilever Pushes Activist Agenda on Climate Change

May 08, 2015

The Chief Executive Officer of Unilever Paul Polman writes in The Guardian that his company has adopted the UN's agenda on sustainability and climate change, in part by forming a new organization of businesses, governments, and activist groups called Tropical Forest Alliance 2020.