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Fiduciary Responsibility: Legal and Practical Aspects of Integrating ESG Issues into Institutional Investment

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:55:00 -0700

A powerful group of asset managers, representing around USD 2 trillion in assets under management, argues in this report that integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into investment decisions is no longer just a luxury, but a legal responsibility.

Legally Binding Disclosure of Environmental Risks Moves Closer to Reality

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0700

A new United Nations report published this week suggests advisors to institutional investors may end up in court if they ignore environmental and social concerns. Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission may reportedly consider whether to force public companies to tell their investors about the financial and physical risks they face from climate change.

Despite Record Growth, Only a Tiny Fraction of Firms Report on Sustainability

GreenBiz Staff — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:39:00 -0700

More companies than ever before filed corporate sustainability reports that meet the Global Reporting Initiative's guidelines in 2008, but those firms are a tiny minority of the world's corporations.

Walmart's Sustainability Index: The Hype and the Reality

Joel Makower — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:08:00 -0700

Now that Walmart has finally unveiled its audacious Sustainability Index, it's time to take a more sober assessment of what's really going on here. In short, there is both more and less going on here than meets the eye.

Inside Wal-Mart's Sustainability Index

Marc Gunther — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:36:00 -0700

The mega-retailer is about to unveil its guidelines for what it considers a sustainable company. But with so many definitions of how a business can be considered green, who's to say with any certainty what sustainable means?

CSR Reports: Absolutely Radical or Relatively Transparent?

Melissa Schweisguth — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Joel Makower's commentary on "radical transparency" and Marc Gunther's post on Wal-Mart's growing greenhouse gas emissions lead to a common question: How should corporations frame sustainability goals and achievements in reporting and communications?

CSR Roundup: Coca Cola Hellenic, Verizon and Molson Coors

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:56:00 -0700

These big-name consumer brands published their annual corporate responsibility reports this week highlighting progress they’ve made: Verizon improved its carbon intensity and fleet fuel consumption, while Molson Coors Brewing Co. reduced absolute emissions, water use, waste and energy use in 2008. For the first time, absolute water use shrank while overall production volume grew for bottler Coca Cola Hellenic.

Baxter's Green Practices Yield $11.9 Million in Environmental Savings and Income

GreenBiz Staff — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:40:00 -0700

Water conservation, energy efficiency, retrofits and other eco-friendly initiatives yielded Baxter International Inc. a total of $11.9 million in environmental income, savings and cost avoidance for 2008, the diversified healthcare products firm said in its latest sustainability report.

CDP, Markit and NASDAQ to Offer New Green Investment Indices

GreenBiz Staff — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:37:00 -0700

Investors who want to put their money behind companies that manage environmental impacts responsibly received news of two new options this week. One from Carbon Disclosure Project and Markit tracks companies with robust carbon management strategies, while another from NASDAQ targets strong corporate sustainability reporters.

When It’s Wal-Mart, How Much is Good Enough?

Gwen Ruta — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:01:00 -0700

Frankly there's a lot of good and some not good enough. With Wal-Mart's release of its 2009 sustainability report today, Environmental Defense Fund, which is working with the firm on its sustainability initiative, shares its perspective on Wal-Mart's progress and the new report.

U.K. Retailers Tesco, Marks & Spencer Report Progress in Reducing Carbon Emissions

GreenBiz Staff — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:45:00 -0700

Tesco, the largest retailer in the United Kingdom, has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, and Marks & Spencer’s latest sustainability report says the chain cut its carbon emissions by 18 percent.

Companies Show Little Awareness of Climate Change Risks, Report Finds

GreenBiz Staff — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:54:00 -0700

More than two-thirds of S&P 500 companies fail to even mention risks presented by global warming in their annual reports, while just 5 percent lay out a strategy for mitigating those risks, according to a study by investor group Ceres, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Center for Energy and Environmental Security.

IBM: CSR is Good for Business

Marc Gunther — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:55:00 -0700

IBM has some advice for companies that are tempted to ease up on their commitment to corporate social responsibility during the recession: Don’t.

Coca-Cola, Toyota, France Telecom Among Top-Scoring CSR Reporters

GreenBiz Staff — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:48:00 -0700

Coca-Cola, Toyota, France Telecom, ABB and Stora Enso are among the highest ranked companies for sustainability reporting based on a series of analyses from the Roberts Environmental Center, which announced the release of several reports studying sectors such as motor vehicles, energy, telecommunications, and food and beverage.

Safeway's Waste Diversion Rate: 85 Percent

GreenBiz Staff — Thu, 14 May 2009 07:56:00 -0700

The amount of waste the company diverts from landfills exceeds California's goal of 50 percent, Safeway said in its latest corporate social responsibility published today. It has also purchased more than 90 million kWh of wind power.