Issue 18 - December 2004
News
- Trucost briefing: Operating and Financial Review published
- Trucost has published its latest briefing informing readers on what the OFR means to companies, investors and auditors.
- Founder members of Enhanced Analytics Initiative disclose five baseline criteria
- The founder members of the EAI have explained the criteria they will use to evaluate the performance of brokers who are participating in the Initiative.
- Corruption is rampant in 60 countries says new index
- Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2004 ranks a record 146 countries; most oil-producing nations are prone to high corruption.
- Certified sustainability assurance practitioner program launched
- AccountAbility and the International Register of Certified Auditors (IRCA) have launched the first individual certification scheme in the field of sustainability assurance.
- The European Social Investment Forum launches Transparency Guidelines for the retail SRI sector
- Eurosif has finalised the Transparency Guidelines to maintain and increase consumer confidence in the retail SRI sector.
- GRI Guidelines translated into Chinese
- ACCA has sponsored the translation of the GRI Guidelines into Chinese. The Guidelines are now available in nine languages.
- What Counts in SRI?
- An international study was conducted by Macquarie University that examined people's intentions to purchase socially responsible investment products, namely, managed funds and superannuation.
- UKSIF launches toolkit
- The UK Social Investment Forum (UKSIF) has launched a new information pack - 'Investing Responsibly: A Practical Toolkit for Financial Advisers' - which aims to make it easier for advisers to offer SRI advice.
- IFAC Board Exposes International Guidance on Environmental Management Accounting
- To eliminate confusion and help clarify the definition, benefits and applications of environmental management accounting (EMA), the Board of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has exposed for comment International Guidelines on EMA.
- Investors to engage food companies on their operations in emerging and developing economies
- A Just Pensions research note, published with the support of three UK asset managers, describes the key risks that companies face and makes suggestions as to how companies might address those risks.
New Publications
- Sustainability Banking in Africa
- AICC and the UNEP FI African Taskforce collaborated on a research project on the current status and future initiatives and drivers of sustainable banking practices in Africa.
- Living Planet Report 2004 challenges global population to reverse global trends
- WWF international has launched its fifth Living Planet Report which measures the human demand on the planet's ecological assets.
- Implementation of the Commission Recommendation on Treatment of Environmental Issues in Companies' Financial Reports
- This report, prepared for the European Commission by PwC, assesses the degree of implementation of the Commission's 2001 Recommendation on treatment of environmental issues in companies' financial reports.
- Corporate environmental research: a review of environmental rating, ranking and indices
- This study compares and contrasts the different approaches, content, robustness and credibility of the outputs of corporate environmental research organisations.
- Stress: An Epidemic in the UK's Workplace?
- Henderson's SRI team has recognised the importance of stress to business and investors by exploring the impact of stress on business and outlines what employers can and should do to mitigate risks.
- New report urges financial institutions to tackle human rights issues
- A study by F&C Asset Management and KPMG shows financial institutions need to take a more critical look at their own and their customers' impacts on human rights.
- The future of sustainability assurance, published by ACCA
- This report provides a review of the current state of sustainability assurance and offers perspectives on where it is going in the future. It also outlines three potential scenarios for assurance in the year 2020.
- Sustainability: the role of accountants
- This report describes ways in which information supports mechanisms used to promote sustainable development and the challenges and opportunities for accountants that these present.
- New research on the value of corporate environmental governance published
- Research carried out for the Environment Agency by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors provides evidence of higher financial returns, business opportunity and competitive advantage.
- Risk & opportunity: best practice in non-financial reporting
- Boards are failing to disclose to financial investors how environmental and social issues pose strategic risks and opportunities for their businesses, according to an international review of corporate sustainability reports