UN-ESG

Companies Face Expanding BHR Reporting Risks

September 16, 2016

Attorney James Wood of Herbert Smith Freehills writes that, as governments take up the UN's business and human rights agenda by broadening corporate disclosure requirements to include human rights impacts, companies face increased risks of running afoul of the law by not putting in place a proper BHR structure in their operations.
Investment Companies Seek Reporting of Sugar Risks

September 16, 2016

Rathbone Greenbank Investments and asset manager Schroders have announced their cooperation on a project aiming to place more investor pressure on UK food and beverage companies to publicly disclose and consider the health impacts of the use of sugar in their products.
Singapore Joins UN Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative

September 14, 2016

The UN Environment Programme has praised Singapore's decision to become the 59th member of the agency's Sustainable Stock Exchanges, signaling the continued growth of this UN effort to use stock exchanges to place pressure on companies to contribute to the organization's comprehensive "sustainable development" agenda.
NGO Pushes G-20 Action on "Green Finance"

September 14, 2016

The nongovernmental organization GermanWatch has called for the German government, as current leader of the G-20 group of countries, to pressure the group to take action on "shifting the trillions" of investment funding from financial institutions to climate-related projects and requiring public reporting by financial companies on their environmental impacts.
GRI Seeks More Extractives Reporting in Australia, Asia

September 13, 2016

A report from the Global Reporting Initiative calls for more companies in the extractives industry in Australia and Asia to use GRI reporting standards to publicly disclose their "social, environmental and economic impacts" and seeks more robust reporting on particular issues of concern unique to energy and mining companies.
Activist Firm Petitions UK on Climate Disclosure

September 09, 2016

Environmental law firm ClientEarth has filed letters with the UK Financial Reporting Council complaining that two energy companies failed to adequately disclose the "material risks" ClientEarth says global warming poses to their businesses in their annual financial reports.
GRI Pushes "Stakeholder" Sustainability Consultations

September 09, 2016

In recent remarks, Michael Nugent of the Global Sustainability Standards Board, a Global Reporting Initiative body that sets business standards to advance the sustainable development agenda, explains how consulting all "stakeholders" impacted by corporate operations is a key component of sustainability standards.
UK Backs Legislation to Publicize Tax Data

September 07, 2016

Under pressure from a global movement of organizations and activists to clamp down on corporate tax avoidance, the BBC reports that the UK Government has offered its support to legislation that would require the country's Treasury to publish more data on the payment of corporate taxes.
GRI Calls on SEC to Adopt Global Reporting Standards

September 07, 2016

In comments to the US Securities and Exchange Commission on new business and financial disclosure rules, the Global Reporting Initiative called upon the SEC to adopt its global reporting standards on "sustainability and public policy" issues for businesses required to file reports with the agency.
Companies Push G-20 on Energy Subsidies

August 31, 2016

Reuters reports that a group of insurance companies has called for leaders from the G-20 group of countries to develop a timetable during which they will phase out subsidies to fossil fuel producers by the year 2020 in order to implement the UN deal on greenhouse gas emissions agreed last December.