UN-ESG

UK Presses Companies to Report Gender Pay Gap

May 21, 2018

The Guardian reports that the UK government has threatened action by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for companies that fail to report any sex-based disparities in their pay policies by a recent deadline, as the UK ramps up pressure on companies using corporate reporting mandates to accomplish the social goal of "creating fairer and more equal workplaces."
GRI Launches Partnership on Minerals Reporting

May 21, 2018

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Responsible Minerals Initiative have launched a project aiming to pressure companies to perform human rights due diligence in their global minerals supply chains and to engage in public reporting on their efforts to rid these supply chains of rights abuses.
GRI, CSE Partner to Push Companies on Public Reporting

May 21, 2018

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has announced a partnership with the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) to train companies listed on the CSE to engage in public reporting, using GRI "sustainability" standards, on their environmental, social, and governance impacts.
Australia Plans Corporate Reporting on Supply-Chain Labor

May 16, 2018

The Guardian reports that the Australian government has announced a plan to require over 3,000 large companies in the country to publicly report on an annual basis how they are addressing the risks of forced labor in their global supply chains, sparking criticism from rights activists calling for the establishment of an independent anti-slavery commissioner.
Greenpeace Arm Quits Forest Certification Group

May 11, 2018

Climate news website Eco-Business reports that Greenpeace International will leave the Forest Stewardship Council, a global certification body aimed at pushing businesses to avoid deforestation, because the body is failing to accomplish its aims of protecting the environment and the human rights of people who live in the forest.
GRI, Sweden Push for Corporate Reporting on SDGs

May 11, 2018

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Danish Institute for Human Rights, and the Swedish International Development Agency have entered a new partnership through which they will seek action from businesses, including through public reporting, contributing to the fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Consultancy: UK Companies Fail on Labor Reporting

May 09, 2018

Consultancy Sancroft has published a report alleging that nearly half of the top 100 UK government contractors failed to meet legal requirements on their efforts to rid their "large and highly complex supply chains" of forced labor and calling on Britain to incentivize these companies to do more to end "modern slavery."
CPA Guide Seeks Corporate Action on SDGs

May 02, 2018

Showing the breadth of civil society's pressure on corporations to help fulfill the comprehensive UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants has published a guide describing how accountants should encourage corporate contributions to the SDGs, including through public reporting.
Jewelry, Watch Companies Face Demands for Reporting

April 24, 2018

Human Rights Watch has called on jewelry and watch companies participating in the Baselworld Fair in Switzerland to publicly disclose the source of materials in their products and perform impact assessments to help civil society activists determine whether they are associated with human rights violations and environmental damage.
NGO Criticizes Lack of Reporting on Palm Oil

April 24, 2018

Greenpeace International has released a report criticizing consumer products companies for failing to take sufficient steps to publicly report on the steps they are taking to address environmental harm in their global palm oil supply chains as set out in a 2010 pledge to "eliminate deforestation" caused by palm oil sourcing by the year 2020.