ESG Special Reports – Page 32
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Special Report
Getting to the point
Pictet has been developing tools to assess companies’ SRI credentials since 1997. The problem, it seems, is that much of the information provided by companies under examination is incomplete. “Very often a company will put together a sustainability report but it will only show what it wants to show,” says ...
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Special Report
Who's for governance?
Corporate governance has been on the agenda for many years, but for most pension schemes the attention has been focused on the governance of the companies in which they invest rather than the governance of the pension fund itself. Now, however, pension schemes and their governing boards are being subject ...
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Special Report
Investors take LTRI initiative
The last five years have seen a sea change in investment beliefs and practices. Previously those who might have raised concerns about market short-termism would have been dismissed as ideologically motivated critics, and those who favoured SRI, as having other agendas. While passionate defenders of the status quo have not ...
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Special Report
Where does the buck stop?
Is there an optimal model of pension fund governance? If so, how should it be applied to Europe’s occupational pension plans? These were the key questions at a discussion on pension fund governance organised by pension fund consultants Akkermans Stroobants & Partners in Antwerp recently, attended by pension fund managers, ...
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Special Report
Uphill in Netherlands
According to the the Dutch Association of Sustainable Investors (VBDO): “Dutch pension funds hardly give any information on how they include social and environmental aspects in their asset management.” The VBDO reported that the total volume of socially responsible investments (SRI) of Dutch pension funds had increased to about 3.3% ...
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Special Report
Animal welfare on agenda
New scientific research is beginning to confirm consumers’ instincts that farm animals have feelings, and that their welfare and humane treatment not only ensures higher quality food but is worth paying a premium for on moral grounds. While sales of free range eggs and other pro-animal welfare products are on ...
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Special Report
Mark of excellence
In January Brussels-based Independent SRI and CSR advisory and research organisation Ethibel launched its new ‘excellence’ certification in an attempt to appeal directly to institutional investors. This, coming hot on the heels of the new disclosure law on SRI for pension funds, will give a boost to Belgium’s SRI market, ...
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Special Report
Directors behaving badly
PIRC, a UK-based provider of corporate governance, proxy voting and corporate social responsibility investment research has accused the UK government of complacency on the issue of directors’ pay and consultants Deloitte & Touche of being too soft in its report on the subject. PIRC published its latest set of shareholder ...
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Special Report
Benchmarking behaviour
Investors are crying out for a single objective way to measure and compare corporate governance practices across broad range of companies in the index, explains Stanley Dubiel senior vice president and director at Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), which together with FTSE launched the new joint corporate governance index (CGI) series ...
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Special Report
The price of respect
If companies fail to understand how human rights issues could impact investment opportunities they and their shareholders will pay the price. This was the message that Howard Carter, chief executive of F&C gave at the recent Business and Human Rights Seminar. Recent issues around the world have posed questions for ...
