It’s good to hear from corporate CEOs on sustainability issues, and especially relevant when a CEO offers advice to his peers based on his own experience and values. Mads Nipper, Group President & CEO of the Illinois-based Grundfus Pump Corporation, attended the UN Global Compact meeting in New York City and offered his perspective on the influential Huffington Post platform.
On Wednesday, May 18th, GRI opened the first day of its 5th Global Conference titled “Empowering Sustainable Decisions”, in Amsterdam, welcoming 1,200 delegates from 77 countries. Amsterdam is a beautiful city with old buildings, canals, bridges and more bikes than the eye can see! Sustainability is built into the bricks and mortar that make up the city, and it’s evident everywhere from the lack of plastic, to the right of way for bikes, beautiful greenery, public transit system, and the community like feeling that you can sense among the citizens of the city.
As the dialogue between company and investor base increasingly focuses on the materiality of corporate information, and the call for greater transparency – “what matters” to both corporate board and C-suite and the institutional investor base?
At G&A Institute we continue to look at the S&P 500® universe of companies in two groups: those companies that have published in some form a sustainability, corporate responsibility, citizenship or some related titling to publicly disclose important data and narrative on their ESG strategies, actions, performance and achievements. And, a second group, those companies that do not disclose / report on ESG factors.
What may sound at first glance to be “touchy-feely” management advice turns out to be solid guidance to corporate executives and managers strategizing about “bullet-proofing” their companies and brands for the immediate and the long-term. Dimitar Vhalov, the Director of Content for Sustainable Brands, explains in our Top Story the importance of “purpose” for companies as the enterprise is made more resilient and focused as part of “future-proofing,” especially for brand marketers.
- Results Show Companies Not Publishing Sustainability Reports Are Disadvantaged by Lower Average Bloomberg ESG Disclosure Scores
Press Release
NEW YORK, April 26, 2016 /3BL Media/ — Continuing the in-depth analysis of S&P 500 (r) companies' sustainability reporting activities, Governance & Accountability Institute teamed with Bloomberg LP to analyze the data, scores and perceptions presented to investment professionals using the Bloomberg Professional information platform which features ESG data and assigns disclosure scores for public companies.
Report Outlines Walmart’s Focus on Using its Strengths to Enhance Economic Opportunity, Sustainability and Local Communities
Press Release
BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 20, 2016/3BL Media/— Walmart today released its ninth annual Global Responsibility Report, entitled “Using Our Strengths to Help Others,” highlighting the company’s progress and milestones during fiscal year 2016 in social and environmental responsibility. The report also outlines Walmart’s “whole systems” approach to continue to advance global responsibility in the key areas of opportunity, sustainability, and local communities.
Many businesses over the past three decades have reshaped themselves, becoming “multi-national enterprises” (MNEs in NGO-speak), thanks in great measure to the advances in information and other technologies, where everywhere is a keyboard click away for communication, and to the end of the Cold War in 1989-1990. Corporate organizations have also become “flatter,” with power and influence dispersed (more) to the far reaches of the operations or supply chain footprint.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us, writes Tim Nixon, managing editor at Greenbiz. He sees the important characteristics of the revolution including greater overall transparency and much more information made available in business and other walks of life; and, disruptive technology accelerating to send ripples of change throughout society. Imagine disruption on steroids. The major players in the revolution are investors, customers and regulators.
The boards of directors of publicly-traded companies have considerable influence over the many duties and responsibilities for the corporation to attend to. Among them is oversight of risk (the two halves of risk: risk or threat and opportunity inherent therein). We put effective risk management as one of the over-arching elements of corporate sustainability and responsibility. What better way to address risk management duties at board level than to focus on the company’s ESG strategies?
