UN-ESG

Companies Call on Trump to Support UN Climate Oversight

December 07, 2016

NPR reports that a group of companies has published a letter to US President-elect Donald Trump urging him to accept UN oversight of US actions reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris climate deal agreed by the Obama Administration earlier this year.
Microsoft Pledges End to Greenhouse Gas Impacts

December 07, 2016

In a new publication, technology giant Microsoft highlights how it is responding to pressure from activists and international organizations on reducing its climate impacts by pledging to go "beyond carbon neutral" by working toward a world in which there are no greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.
EU Agrees Regulation on Conflict Minerals Checks

December 05, 2016

EU institutions have agreed to a draft regulation requiring "all but the smallest" European importers of "conflict minerals" from war-torn areas of Africa to perform "due diligence" checks on the source of these minerals and "encouraging" large companies to publicly report on their mineral sourcing practices.
EU Parliament Seeks Bank Information Disclosure

December 05, 2016

The European Parliament has passed a resolution calling for EU rules providing for the automatic exchange of bank account owner information by EU member states to prevent tax avoidance in the bloc.
ISO Global Standards Advance UN Climate Agenda

December 01, 2016

In a press release announcing events it planned for the recent UN climate summit in Marrakesh, Morocco, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) describes how its corporate reporting and other standards, including an upcoming global standard on preventing and adapting to climate change, contribute to the UN's sustainable development agenda.
Banker Pushes for Global Corporate Tax Reporting

November 29, 2016

Arguing that few multinational companies consider the societal need for them to pay "a fair amount of tax," Sasja Beslik of the financial services group Nordea writes that the only practical way for governments to promote corporate tax transparency is to force businesses to disclose their revenues and tax payments in every jurisdiction in which they operate.
Businesses Support "Decarbonisation" at COP22 Meeting

November 28, 2016

At the recent UN Climate Change Conference (COP22) in Marrakesh, Morocco, a gathering of business representatives signaled the growing commitments within the private sector to support UN initiatives aimed at the "radical decarbonisation of the global economy” as part of the international organization's agenda on combating global warming.
EU Considers Deterring "Aggressive" Tax Advice

November 28, 2016

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on measures to deter tax advisers in the EU from proposing tax planning schemes to help corporations and others avoid taxes, including by implementing at the EU level a "mandatory disclosure scheme" for tax advice that might be viewed as overly "aggressive."
IEA Calls for Use of Global Energy Efficiency Standards

November 16, 2016

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published an interview with Brian Motherway, head of energy efficiency at the International Energy Agency, praising the use of global standards in regulating how businesses and investors reduce energy consumption in their operations.
Google Implements ISO "Sustainability" Standards

November 16, 2016

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published an article from a Google "sustainability" officer describing how the internet giant has used global environmental and social standards to reduce its environmental impacts and has received a certificate of recognition for implementing ISO guidelines on "energy management."