Governance in Brief – September 22, 2022
DOJ unveils crimefighting policies for corporate misconduct The U.S. Department of Justice has announced a new “carrots and sticks” approach to fighting corporate crime that encourages companies to report misconduct while making it more difficult for repeat offenders to enter settlements and deferred prosecutions.
Physical Climate Risks: 6 Things Portfolio Managers Need to Know
The negative physical impacts of climate change are being felt by communities and corporations globally and are likely to get worse in the coming years. The knock-on costs of more frequent “once-in-a-century” climate events on economies are likely to rise. To prepare for this looming threat, investors must forecast the asset-level effects of climate change on companies in a granular and sophisticated way. Here are six things portfolio managers should know to manage and mitigate the physical risks of climate change to their portfolios and meet growing list of climate-focused reporting requirements.
Financing a Sustainable Future: The Evolution of Sustainability-Linked Finance Instruments
The sustainable finance market has seen rapid growth in the last two years, with sustainable debt issuance surpassing US$1.6 trillion in 2021. This blog explores the market trends and future of sustainability-linked loans and sustainability-linked bonds.
Applying Business and Human Rights International Standards to Investor Due Diligence
Socially conscious ESG investors are interested in how to implement international business and human rights norms in their portfolios and understand the potential impacts of applying additional screening criteria within their strategy.
Governance in Brief – September 8, 2022
BHP shareholders seek coherent climate policy Shareholder activist group The Australasian Center for Corporate Responsibility (“ACCR”) has, with the support of circa 100 co-sponsors, submitted a set of climate-focused resolutions to BHP Group’s next AGM. The ACCR is urging the miner to "proactively advocate for Australian policy settings that are consistent with the Paris Agreement's objective of limiting global warming to 1.5° Celsius."
Key Trends & Considerations for Transition Finance
Sustainalytics would like to invite you to our Transition Finance webinar where we will be discussing the development and expectations of Transition Finance, how transition finance has evolved over the past few years, key market considerations, as well as trends, opportunities and challenges. Join us as we discuss what is next on the Sustainable Finance horizon beyond GSSS and Transition Bonds.
What’s Happening in Sustainable Finance: Market Headwinds, GHG Targets in Sustainability-Linked Instruments, the Focus on Supply Chains, and More
In this month’s overview of all things sustainable finance, we look at the shifting global market, ponder the potential impact of the EU green bond standard, and highlight gender-based KPIs in sustainability-linked finance instruments.
Telecom Network Outages, the ESG Risks of a Connected World
The telecom industry is exposed to several Material ESG Issues, including Data Privacy and Security, Business Ethics, Human Capital and Product Governance. Product Governance issues in the telecom industry include service quality, maintaining reliable, high-speed networks, and responding to customer billing concerns.
ESG Risks Affecting Data Centers: Why Water Resource Use Matters to Investors
Data centers play a critical role for many technology and telecom companies and for their supporting servers, digital storage equipment and network infrastructure for data processing and storage. Data centers require high volumes of water directly for cooling purposes and indirectly, through electricity generation. Morningstar Sustainalytics’ recent activation of the Resource Use Material ESG Issue (MEI) within its ESG Risk Ratings recognizes water risks of data centers.
Governance in Brief – August 18, 2022
HSBC pressured to spin off its Asia business Hong Kong-based investor Ping An, which holds an 8.3% stake in HSBC, continues to pressure the lender to spin off its Asia business. The investor first advanced the idea in April 2022, but was at that point rebuffed by HSBC’s leadership.
Impact of US Supreme Court’s EPA Ruling on US Utilities’ Carbon Exposure
The Clean Power Plan was created using a directive from the Clean Air Act that enabled the EPA to set emission limits for air pollutants based on the best available technology to reduce emissions. The EPA aimed to cap carbon emissions and curb greenhouse (GHG) emissions by changing the composition of the existing operational power generation assets by forcing the closure of coal plants through strict emission caps, resulting in a system-wide transition to renewable energy.
Governance in Brief – August 11, 2022
At Tesla AGM, ESG proposals fall short of goal line Tesla’s August 4, 2022, AGM rejected seven shareholder proposals addressing: reporting on anti-harassment and discrimination efforts, board diversity reporting, employee arbitration, lobbying reporting, freedom of association and collective bargaining, child labour reporting, and water risk reporting.
Does ESG Impact Valuation? Answering the Most Common Questions About IPO ESG Assessments
Companies working toward an IPO increasingly understand that having an effective ESG strategy is an important strategic consideration for investors and regulators alike. This FAQ answers the most common questions about what an ESG assessment involves.