UN-ESG

NGO Pushes for G20 Action on Corporate "Due Diligence"

August 15, 2017

Juliane Kippenberg of Human Rights Watch writes that the Group of 20 countries (G20) must support mandatory "due diligence" rules across its members legally requiring businesses "to assess, prevent, mitigate, and remediate harmful human rights impacts of their actions" across their global supply chains and publicly report on their suppliers.
Companies Support US Proposal for "Carbon Tax"

August 15, 2017

The New York Times reports that, showing global activist and UN pressure on companies to embrace policies combating climate change, a group of large energy companies has announced its support of a proposal by former US cabinet officials to impose a federal US tax on greenhouse gas emissions and redistribute the proceeds to citizens as a "carbon dividend."
Church of England Aligns Investments with UNPRI

August 15, 2017

In recent years, the Church of England has sought to align its £7.9 billion investment portfolio with the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI), most recently leading a successful effort in a shareholder vote to push ExxonMobil into releasing a report on how climate change could affect its business.
ISO Pushes Small Businesses on "Environmental Management"

August 14, 2017

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published a handbook guiding small and medium-sized businesses how to establish a proper "environmental management system" to improve their performance on the global environmental agenda.
Apple Issues $1 Billion "Green Bond"

August 14, 2017

Reuters reports that, in the wake of US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the UN's Paris climate deal, technology giant Apple issued a $1 billion "green bond" that it says it will use to drive private investment toward funding renewable energy projects and increase energy efficiency at its facilities.
Paper Calls for Financial Platform for Climate Reporting

August 14, 2017

A paper from the Centre for International Governance Innovation calls for Canadian financial institutions to "step into the breach" created by the inaction of the Group of 20 countries (G20) on global warming by helping to create a new international platform for cooperation on the reporting of "climate-related financial risk and green finance opportunities."
ISO Updates Standard on Clean Energy

August 14, 2017

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) organized a workshop at the intergovernmental Clean Energy Ministerial in June to update and strengthen its global standard on energy management systems pressuring businesses and other organizations to pursue action on climate change by reducing their energy use.
NGOs Provide Corporate Guidance on Forced Labor Law

August 11, 2017

A group of nongovernmental organizations has published four briefings providing guidance for companies on complying with requirements under the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 to report efforts to end forced labor, including by providing a "robust" statement on "due diligence" efforts companies make to detect and address rights violations in their global supply chains.
NGO Rates Fashion Companies on Reporting Practices

August 10, 2017

The nongovernmental organization Fashion Revolution has released a Fashion Transparency Index rating garment companies on their reporting of social and environmental policies, including their "efforts on living wages, collective bargaining, and reducing consumption of resources," in their global supply chains.
GRI Recognizes "Pioneers" on "Sustainability" Reporting

August 10, 2017

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has created a Standards Pioneers Program to recognize companies that have become the "earliest adopters" of GRI's corporate reporting standards on contributions to the global "sustainable development" agenda and to provide enhanced training sessions on "sustainability reporting" to members of the Program.