Resource Center

McDonald’s faces proxy fight over pig treatment Activist investor Carl Icahn has nominated two candidates to the McDonald’s board, in a proxy fight over the firm’s treatment of pigs. Icahn, who owns 200 shares of McDonald’s stock, also requests that the fast-food giant source its meat from crate-free pork suppliers within a specific timeframe.

This blog post explains what is ESG, including basic ESG concepts, ESG scores and ratings, and why companies of all sizes need ESG risk management.

Insights on China's growing green bond market, including recent developments, key characteristics, and expectations for the world's second largest market.

Get an update on recent deals and transactions in the global sustainable finance market, notable reports, and thoughtful insights from Sustainalytics’ sustainable finance experts.

SEC continues work on climate risk disclosure rules U.S. SEC Chair Gary Gensler has responded to criticism from senators over the delayed publication of the agency’s mandatory climate risk disclosure draft, noting that “it’s essential [that the SEC] get this right”. In a letter sent to Gensler, Senator Elizabeth Warren called for the “release of the strongest requirements possible” amid reports that the delay stems from disagreements between SEC Commissioners over whether Scope 3 emissions should be included among disclosure requirements.

Businesses are looking closer look at their supply chains than ever. View our checklist to learn essential ESG action steps to put your company’s supply chain on the path to sustainability.

As growing pressure to cut GHG emissions is causing Western oil majors to sell their high-carbon assets, it is expected that National Oil Companies (NOCs) will pick up some of the production. For investors holding an interest in or considering investing in NOCs or sovereign debt, it is worth assessing how fossil fuel production shifts will impact their portfolio’s alignment with climate ambitions and ESG values.

This ebook outlines the key steps for every company starting out with ESG, including getting buy-in, understanding your situation, developing a strategy, and more.

NVIDIA’s planned acquisition of Arm collapses NVIDIA and Softbank have called off the planned merger between NVIDIA and Softbank’s semiconductor segment Arm Ltd., which had been expected to take place later this year, citing “significant regulatory challenges” from several national and regional agencies.

Learn the five key steps companies can take to better address their biodiversity impacts and start building a more nature-positive business.

By understanding its ESG position among industry peers, Windstream set a benchmark for improving its ESG targets and communicating sustainability accomplishments to key stakeholders.

When companies are receptive to investor feedback, there are clear real-world impacts and positive changes. Such engagement outcomes vary and are directly tied to the company and its company-specific exposure to material ESG issues.

FTC seeks to block Lockheed’s purchase of Aerojet Citing antitrust concerns, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has filed a suit seeking a preliminary injunction to block Lockheed Martin's USD 4.4 billion acquisition of rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings.

Financing the Future: Conversations in Sustainable Finance is a Q&A series where we sit down with featured ESG experts from Sustainalytics, sharing their insights on how businesses are using finance to meet the challenges of our transition to a sustainable future.

When companies measure and report the environmental and social impacts of their operations, they can demonstrate to investors large and small that their green and social bonds are reliable investments for maximum impact. Then investors can optimize their portfolios for impact as they do for risk and reward and companies can optimize their efforts to improve.

To help financial institutions examining the climate impact of their portfolios, we’ve compiled a list of the initiatives and organizations offering guidance on the collection, measurement, and disclosure of climate-related financial data.

This infographic shows the impacts of strong or weak supply chain practices and breaks down six crucial factors for identifying strong and weak sustainability traits in any organization.

European Banking Authority releases ESG disclosure standards The European Banking Authority has published its “Implementing Technical Standards” (“ITS”), governing European banks’ Pillar 3 ESG risk disclosure. The framework, which is rooted in the EU Taxonomy and previous recommendations from the European Commission and the Financial Stability Board Task Force, is meant to provide a comprehensive basis for comparing banks’ incorporation of sustainability factors into their risk management, strategy, and governance. The framework will require European banks to disclose climate risks and mitigating actions, including information on two new ratios – the “green asset” ratio (“GAR”) and the “banking book taxonomy alignment” ratio (“BATR”). Other required metrics include exposure to fossil fuel and other carbon- and GHG-emitting activities, as well as alignment with 2050 net zero goals. Mandatory publication of climate risk exposure and corresponding mitigation measures will start in 2023, while disclosure of GAR and BATR will be required as of 2024.

In this episode we highlight some of the outcomes from COP26, a new report on using sustainable debt to further gender equality, as well as recent deals, developments, and research in the global sustainable finance market.

Find out what businesses are reading with our round-up of Sustainalytics' most popular content in 2021! Clearly, sustainable finance is a hot topic, as well as social impact reporting as businesses work to transition to more sustainable practices.