Monthly Archives: August 2010

Say Hello to AfricaSIF!

The TakeAway: The Africa Sustainable Investment Forum adds a new chapter to the history of using finance for social progress that started in South Africa. Most people think the US-based divestment movement toppled apartheid in South Africa.  The reality is … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Sustainability, Sustainable Investing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Greening of Hollywood

The TakeAway: The new Green Production Guide and longstanding Environmental Media Association help Hollywood pursue sustainability. At last night’s Emmys, George Clooney received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for charitable work on behalf of disaster and terrorist victims—including those affected … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Sustainability, Media & Entertainment | Comments Off on The Greening of Hollywood

Fighting the Fury: Climate Change, Natural Disasters, and the Business Response

The TakeAway: Companies and investors need to deal with natural disaster mitigation, resilience, and rebuilding efforts. Five years ago this Sunday, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, where the wounds remain raw.  Two years ago, Cyclone Nargis in Burma … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Corporate Sustainability, Human Rights, Natural Disasters, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Proxy Access & Shareholder Citizenship: The Quest for Inclusion

The TakeAway: New SEC rule allows shareholders to nominate board candidates, a major victory for corporate democracy. Yesterday was historic: the SEC granted shareholders the power to nominate candidates for board director elections.  The 3-2 vote along party lines ended … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Proxy Voting, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Make Money by … Saving the World: The Biosphere Economy

The TakeAway: We can flip the equation of economic growth through environmental damage, to global prosperity through ecological healing. Evidence of human assault on our fragile biosphere abounds this year: Pakistani floods and Russian drought and wildfire (all related to … Continue reading

Posted in Biosphere Economy, Climate Change, Corporate Sustainability, Natural Disasters, Sustainable Investing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fiduciary Failure: Closing the ESG Disclosure Gap

The TakeAway: Flex your muscles, report tells investors, to get better environmental, social, and governance reporting (and practice) from companies. What’s the secret to good corporate governance?  Good investor governance.  That’s why we were delighted by a recent report from … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Reporting, Investor Governance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“We the People”, Not “We the Moguls”

The TakeAway: Controversial corporate political spending spurs shareholder activism aimed at aligning company values with American values. With election season around the corner, today we question if our democracy, founded on the ideal of representing “We the People”, has been … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Human Rights, Proxy Voting, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on “We the People”, Not “We the Moguls”

Apple Opens the Way to X-Filing

The TakeAway: New iPhone XBRL application opens new windows into financial reporting; next up: sustainability reporting. Apple’s iTunes Store has joined the digital revolution in financial reporting.  Yesterday, it rolled out a new offering – it wasn’t a song, movie, … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Reporting, Interactive Technology, Public Policy, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Four E’s of Social Media & Sustainability

The TakeAway: Sustainability Leaders Need to Use Social Media to Exchange, Educate, Engage, and Enhance. Social media has exploded within the past few years to become a fixture in our culture.  For example, Facebook’s network has mushroomed to 500 million … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Interactive Technology, Proxy Voting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Deadline to Red-Line: GRI Invites Input on Gender, Community, and Human Rights

The TakeAway: We outline proposed changes to GRI’s Gender, Community, and Human Rights reporting guidelines to help you submit comments by 23 August. Consistent with its commitment to continual renewal through multi-stakeholder review, the Global Reporting Initiative is hosting a … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Human Rights, Stakeholder Engagement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Go-Getter Approach to Climate Change

The TakeAway: With extreme weather mounting and Congress dithering, WRI report outlines what we can do now to reduce GHGs. In the world of climate change, the gap between scientific consensus and political resolve is widening – but luckily, this … Continue reading

Posted in Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cutting in Line: GRI and Integrated Reporting

Commentary by Bill Baue, Editor in Chief, Murninghan Post The TakeAway: GRI’s Embrace of Integrated Reporting May Distract from XBRL and Sustainability Context Last October at the Business for Social Responsibility Conference, Global Reporting Initiative CEO Ernst Ligteringen made an … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary, Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Human Rights Due Diligence

The TakeAway: Integrating Human Rights Due Diligence into Risk Management May Help Prevent Future Oil Spills and Market Meltdowns We consider the collapse of the global banking system in 2008 as a financial debacle, and the collapse of the Deepwater … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Human Rights, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Ask Not What You Can Do for GM, Ask What GM Can Do for the Country

The TakeAway: Will the “new improved” GM fulfill its social duties as it prepares for an IPO? “What’s good for GM is good for America”, the old saying goes.  But that’s a misquote.  Former GM CEO Charles Erwin Wilson really … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pig Iron and Modern Slavery

The TakeAway: Shareowner Activism Can Help Deter Human Rights Violations A few decades ago, The New Yorker ran a famous cartoon in which a startled gas station attendant, having raised the hood of a fancy car to check the oil, … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Sustainability, Stakeholder Engagement | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A Rebirth of Wisdom

The TakeAway: Revived British Initiative May Strengthen Board Role in Social and Environmental Oversight We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the UK’s new Coalition Government has quietly exhumed the Operating and Financial Review (OFR), a policy for expanding corporate … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Reporting, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bad Boys, Bad Governance

The TakeAway: Lapses in Personal Ethical Conduct Often Point to Bad Corporate Governance Late last Friday, in case you missed it, Hewlett-Packard fired its CEO Mark Hurd, amidst charges of improper behavior.  Michelle Leder of footnoted.org noted that HP buried … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Financing Good Food

The TakeAway: New Food Movements Get Funded from Social Finance and Social Enterprise – and Big Agra The intersection between food and finance conjures visions of Big Agra, aka industrial agriculture – which is increasingly perceived as sacrificing the health … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Financing Good Food

Hits & Misses: Proxy Access, Political Contributions, and Net Neutrality

The TakeAway: Goldman Pledges No Political Spending (Thumbs Up), Target Political Contribution Backfires (Thumbs Down) It’s Friday, a perfect opportunity to survey events of the week and reflect on their significance going forward. Friday’s also a good day to experiment … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Reactions to Launch of International Integrated Reporting Committee

The TakeAway: Integrated reporting is a great idea, but there are many implementation challenges. Sustainability guru John Elkington calls integrated reporting  (which blends financial reporting with environmental, social and governance  reporting) a Holy Grail, the “Second Tiger” of the Transparent … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Public Policy | 2 Comments

Integrated Reporting: Off to A Strong Start

The TakeAway: International Integrated Reporting Committee Launches to Blend Financial Reporting with Sustainability Reporting Good news for proponents of sustainability reporting:  On Tuesday, the Global Reporting Initiative and the Accounting for Sustainability project (A4S) sponsored by the Prince of Wales … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Board Diversity, Elitism, and Performance: What Works Best?

Part Two of Two Parts The TakeAway: Can Diverse Boards Avoid Pitfalls of Directors Spread Too Thin, And Enhance Performance? Yesterday we described the Mad Men effect on corporate boards sorely lacking gender diversity.  Today, we continue our discussion, placing … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Corporate Boards and Mad Men: We’ve Come How Far?

Part One of Two Parts The TakeAway: Number of Women on Corporate Boards Still Low, Despite Research on Value of 3 or More Women Directors Mad Men is one of my favorite television shows because it captures the style and … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Multiple Networks Syndrome: Diminishing Sustainability Impact

Commentary by Bob Massie The Take-Away: Partitioning ESG Activism Undermines Sustainability As A Holistic Concept Many thanks to those who commented on my first post on “silo” thinking.  Here are some additional thoughts on necessary improvements to sustainability activism. It … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , , | 1 Comment