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
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This title of a recent article in Reuters caught our eye: “Majority of global asset managers still not investing responsibly, ShareAction says.” The first line of the article goes on to say, “Global asset managers controlling trillions of dollars are failing to invest in a way that will protect climate, biodiversity, and people, despite efforts
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When making commitments to reducing their carbon footprints, reducing waste, recycling more, and pursuing other environmentally-friendly initiatives, companies must consider the financial implications for the business. Good news: many analyses show that these efforts, even ones that require a cash outlay, typically save money over time by reducing costs going forward (see our article on
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There’s nothing like a home-cooked meal. Like so many people, we aim for that. But hectic schedules and/or lack of energy to plan, shop, and cook lead us to grab take-out, order delivery, or pick up a roasted chicken from the market, and fairly often. That means bringing home big plastic containers, along with the
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When deciding whether to pursue a project, a company’s CEO and CFO are likely to ask, “what’s the expected return on investment?” (Note: to head off the emails that statement might generate, we acknowledge that the preferred approach is to compute a project’s net present value, but we’ll leave it to corporate finance textbooks to
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Let’s face it – although sustainable investing has gained global recognition and support over the past decade, for some people the ESG glass remains half-empty. That’s not because of politics – for the most part, investors around the world understand that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues matter because they can affect companies’ bottom line,
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The body of research on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores and stock returns is large and growing. A search on GoogleScholar using that phrase shows that since 2018 alone, roughly 11,700 academic articles have been published on what ESG scores reveal about stock returns, or whether ESG scores have any consistent relationship with stock
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Here’s something we’ll bet you already know: there has been pushback in certain circles against investing based on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. While often described as “anti-ESG”, some—not all, but some—of that pushback is not actually an objection to ESG per se. It stems from a suspicion that some asset managers, mutual funds,
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For those who argue that investing in efforts to fight climate change interferes with a company’s duty to shareholders, a recent study by EY has some disappointing news. The study reports that “companies that take decisive action to combat climate concerns are benefiting from unexpected financial value in areas like revenue growth and earnings.” EY
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Most mid-sized and large companies have a CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, CIO, CMO, and a CHRM (or some other title that covers the HR function). In recent years, many have added a CSO – Chief Sustainability Officer, but others are not yet familiar with the term. Some may wonder what the role entails and may
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Certain industries tend to grab most of the headlines when it comes to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. The fossil fuel industry immediately comes to mind, as do the other extractives. Consumer-facing and manufacturing companies get a good deal of attention, too. Of course, every industry can improve its sustainability and help people and
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Most of us would readily agree that Europe offers various things that are unmatched in other parts of the world – great cuisines, rich histories, beautiful villages – and, of course, precedent-setting guidance on sustainability reporting. Recently, the EU parliament adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), with 525 votes in favor, 60 against, and
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