German car manufacturer Volkswagen (VW), which last year admitted to falsifying emissions data in its diesel cars around the world, has reached a $10.03 billion settlement with US authorities and former and current diesel car owners. If approved by US regulators, VW has agreed to buy back cars, terminate lease deals or modify cars for free. It […]
Read MoreSustainability reporting in the US needs improvement according to the chair of its Security and Exchange Commission, Mary Jo White, in her key note address at the International Corporate Governance Network conference that took place in San Francisco this week. She said the regulator, along with companies and investors, needed to do more work on sustainability reporting including on whether, […]
Read MoreThe first benchmark findings on the efforts of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) companies to mitigate forced labour in their supply chains have been published by KnowTheChain a project of Humanity United a US-based foundation tackling global injustice issues. KnowTheChain said while the ICT sector is showing some commitment and action to tackle labour issues, there […]
Read MoreUK founder of the Virgin-branded companies and philanthropist, Sir Richard Branson, has added his voice to a campaign against inequality, in a video which explains why he believes social justice is good for business. He talks about meeting a 79 year old great-grandfather in Africa who had electricity for the first time and how he could […]
Read MoreA coalition of over 80 institutional investors, with $4.8 trillion in assets under management, has pledged support for the creation of the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) – the world’s first wide-scale benchmark on companies’ human rights policies, processes and practices. The investors include Boston Common Asset Management, Aviva Investors, APG Asset Management, BNP Paribas Investment Partners, […]
Read MoreA new Civil Society Organisation (CSO), the European Responsible Investment Network (ERIN), was launched last week at a conference in Berlin. The network is made up of 25 organisations from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the UK. Members range from Dutch sustainable investment associations and Italian ethical banking groups to NGOs that address […]
Read MoreRoyal Dutch Shell experienced a relatively modest level of investor opposition to its executive remuneration report at its recent AGM with a 14% vote against, this follows the rival oil company BP’s loss of its pay vote last month. However, Manifest data shows it is the highest level of opposition Shell has received in the past six years – […]
Read MoreInsurer and investment company, AXA, has taken the decision to stop investing in tobacco companies, due to the public health risks of smoking. AXA said that as a responsible investor and health insurer it had considered that increasingly healthcare was about prevention rather than cure and with smoking being the greatest risk to public health […]
Read MoreEnvironmental charity, WWF, together with Responsible Investment (RI) pressure group ShareAction, has carried out the first survey examining the RI approaches of the 20 largest Swiss pension funds. The study analysed how far pension funds invest their beneficiaries’ money sustainably and whether they transparently provide them with information. The survey concluded that the majority of the 20 largest Swiss pension […]
Read MoreA group of institutional investors has called on companies to assess and report their climate-related risks within their annual report to shareholders, in the interests of prudent and long-term capital stewardship. The position paper has been signed by Natasha Landell-Mills, head of stewardship at Sarasin & Partners; Councillor Kieran Quinn, chair of the Local Authority Pension Fund […]
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