1, 2, 3…4! What are Scope 4 Emissions?
We know that people who smoke cigarettes can greatly improve their health—now and into the future—by cutting back or quitting altogether. And, when people make a pledge to stop smoking it’s easy to track their progress by counting how many cigarettes they smoke per day, over time. Of course, while cutting back is great, it
ESG Industry Owes Financial and Wealth Advisors an Apology
Individual investors rely on their financial advisor or wealth manager to provide informed, unbiased advice, but with so many ESG investment choices that’s not always easy. We recently fell into a conversation with a seasoned Financial Advisor (FA) about how he explains ESG investing to his clients. His financial planning expertise is unquestionable and he
Sustainability and the Agriculture Industry – A Lot to Chew On
If you’re a human who eats but you don’t raise your own crops and livestock, you are affected by the agriculture industry’s self-inflicted sustainability problem. We explain. Agriculture is arguably the most important business activity in the world. Roughly 12,000 years ago humans switched from being hunter/gatherers to living in agrarian societies with reliable food supplies. That
2RSquared and OWL ESG announce ESG Data Partnership
OWL ESG, the US-based ESG data solutions provider, and 2RSquared, the cloud-based SaaS platform for investment design and delivery, are proud to announce an ESG data integration partnership. With this partnership, users of 2RSquared’s technology platform ‘LAB’ will have access to OWL ESG’s sustainability insights. LAB offers research capabilities and the ability to create tradeable
Is there a Chief Trust Officer in the C-Suite?
Time for a riddle: what takes years to build, seconds to break, and a lifetime to restore? Here’s a huge hint: it’s what a company’s Chief Trust Officer works to preserve.
What Do Individual Investors Really Think About ESG?
We always try to write about environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-related topics in a way that is informative, engaging, and understandable for everyone who may be interested in the subject. Nonetheless, we expect institutional investors, wealth managers, and corporate executives to be more comfortable in this arena than most individual investors. After all, wrapping your
Protecting Value-Creation in M&A: ESG and Due Diligence
By now, it’s a given—investors, asset managers, corporate executives, and boards of directors know that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors can affect a company’s financial performance and reputation (which affects financial performance). Both the persistent and growing demand among stakeholders for more ESG information and the increase in disclosure requirements in this arena reflect
Do Retail Customers Want More ESG in Their Shopping Carts?
Despite the blowback against environmental, social, and governance (ESG), studies consistently show that good ESG practices positively affect corporate profitability. But, as TriplePundit notes, it’s relatively easy to measure ESG-related cost savings (from things like improving energy efficiency or reducing employee turnover), but “assessing how sustainability efforts improve top-line growth is trickier.” In plain English, do
ESG Data – Why Is This So Difficult?
Picture this scene: A child sits at a desk, slumped in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, a look of defeat on his face. “I can’t do these math problems,” he complains. “They’re too hard. I give up.” An adult who has been in waiting in the background steps closer and says… You can
Is ESG Just Common Sense?
According to a new global survey of C-suite executives, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts have slipped lower on corporate priority lists. The business media site edie.net (all lower-case), which serves sustainability, energy, and environmental professionals, reports that The Harris Poll surveyed more than 1,476 top-level executives in 16 countries for the second year and
What is a “Good” CSR Report?
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports are a critical source of information for anyone interested in the actions a company is taking, and goals it has set, regarding environmental and social issues. But that doesn’t mean that most (or, from a cynic’s perspective, any) CSR reports are as helpful as they should be. We know, because
For Consumers Who Care About Sustainability, Do “Green” Labels Actually Mean Anything?
Consumer products companies allocate a good deal of time, attention, and money to incorporate environmental and social responsibility into their business practices. They also make claims about sustainability on their product labels, social media posts, and other marketing materials. Studies show that sustainability credentials matter to many consumers, in terms of overall perceptions about a
