Resource Center

GES has engaged the cocoa industry for many years to increase its effort in tackling the issue of child labour. As a part of its long-term engagement, GES published its second public report on the issue, including investor expectations and a corporate benchmark of leading cocoa and chocolate companies.

Sustainalytics is committed to developing additional products and services to help investors meet other requirements related to the EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan.

Sustainalytics hosted an online panel discussion about recent trends, company engagement and developments in modern slavery, along with a preview of Sustainalytics’ thematic engagement on modern slavery.

Cleaner shipping has been a trending topic particularly since the International Maritime Organization (IMO) declared that 2020 will mark the “beginning of a decade of action and delivery” for the shipping industry.[i] A key approach to cleaner shipping is for companies to renew their fleet with more environmental-friendly vessels. However, this approach triggers an obsolescence of older vessels and increases shipbreaking activity. In Sustainalytics’ 10 for 2020 report, we mention the issue of shipping practices with large environmental impacts including shipbreaking practices which we will explore more in depth in this article.

In November 2019, as part of the Sustainable Seafood Engagement, Sustainalytics visited Chile to learn more about the country’s rapidly growing aquaculture industry. Commercial salmon farming has developed quickly in Chile over the past two decades, and today the country is the second largest producer of seafood in the world. Although salmon is not a native species to Chile, the climate in the southern part of the country (zones 10 and 11) offers excellent conditions for farming activities. Farmed salmon now represents the country’s second largest export and the industry provides thousands of jobs for people living in some of Chile’s most remote communities.[i] Despite this economic success story, the industry also faces environmental and social challenges which may cause investor risk. These risks may become more pronounced in the future, as the sector now looks to expand deeper into biodiversity hotspots.

In this year’s edition of our 10 for series, we put an environmental, social and governance (ESG) lens on 10 investment themes that may offer investors an opportunity to create a positive social and environmental impact through the equity market. The trends we identify are driven by corporate initiatives to scale new technologies, improve social conditions, conserve ecosystems and mitigate climate change.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is accelerating. Technological progress, globalization and demographic shifts, will bring structural changes and disruptions to society and labor markets. This engagement supports investors in understanding how companies can proactively manage workforce needs and transitions for a sustainable labor market.

Engaging with marine fisheries and aquaculture producers, the focus is on managing seafood sustainability risks and opportunities, which in turn contributes to long-term operational continuity and sustainability.

This engagement focuses on addressing risks related to child- and forced labor in the targeted companies’ supply chains, as well as to remediate potential adverse labor rights impacts. Particular focus is placed on the identified high-risk commodities, namely coffee, rice, sugar, tea and tomatoes.

While being a vital part of the response to climate change as well as other economic and societal needs, the growing supply of cleantech products also entails environmental and social challenges within the various processes across the value chain. This engagement aims to encourage and enable the cleantech industry to grow in a more responsible manner.

Sustainalytics‘ works with leading index providers to develop and maintain indexes that track the ESG performance of companies.

This thematic engagement is aimed at encouraging companies to define meaningful SDG strategies that align with their business plans. It aims to influence them to address their negative impacts and seek out opportunities to produce positive outcomes in line with the 2030 SDG agenda, while contributing to a more stable long-term operating environment for themselves.

The Country Risk Ratings measure the risk to a country’s long-term prosperity and economic development by assessing how sustainably it is managing its wealth. It can be used to support country assessments and help investors anticipate and manage emerging risks with an analysis of events happening in a country

Sustainalytics’ Carbon Risk Rating assesses the degree to which company value is at risk, driven by the transition to a low-carbon economy. Specifically, the Carbon Risk Rating measures a company’s unmanaged exposure to carbon risk.

Sustainalytics’ Controversial Weapons Radar enables investors to identify private and public companies involved in weapons that can have a disproportionate and indiscriminate impact on civilian populations, sometimes even years after a conflict has ended.

Sustainalytics‘ Data Services enables investors to integrate our research directly into their internal or third-party systems. It integrates ESG research seamlessly into the system you currently use and know.

Our EU Taxonomy Solution provides ESG research and data that assesses clients’ holdings and portfolio alignment to the EU Taxonomy. We currently offer a Taxonomy Data solution and a Managed Portfolio Service. The Managed Portfolio Service provides a portfolio-level alignment assessment and the Data solution provides company-level assessment along with the supporting underlying company-level data. Companies receive one of four assessments: Aligned (/With Warning), Partially Aligned (/With Warning), Not Aligned and No Evidence.

Over two million children below the age of 18 work in hazardous conditions in the cocoa supply chain in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ghana. This engagement is founded on investors’ expectations for some of the largest companies in the cocoa sector, and addresses the issue of child labor in cocoa.

Sustainalytics’ Global Access is our flagship platform for accessing our ESG research. The user-friendly interface includes functionalities that enable investors to read detailed company reports with qualitative analyses, screen companies on ESG criteria for security selection and product creation and run custom reports to communicate ESG performance. With the alerts functionality, clients can monitor their portfolios for ESG incidents and controversies.

Sustainalytics’ Corporate Governance Research and Ratings enable investors to monitor companies year round and assess their corporate governance structures, practices and behaviors.