Finance & Investment
The latest in the spheres of socially responsible investing, impact investing, and other ways investors and shareholders are asserting their desire for ethical investment options.
New Lending Industry Alliance to Bolster Underserved Communities
Two longtime players in small-business lending and empowering low-income communities are joining forces to scale up equitable wealth creation in communities of color.
Global Public Thinks GDP Should Include Health, Education, Environmental Data
The 2020 GlobeScan-Ethical Markets “Beyond GDP” survey finds that an average of 72% of people across 11 countries would prefer to broaden GDP to incorporate these additional data.
Viola Brands: A Case Study in Cultivating Racial Equity
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. Cannabis producer Viola Brands is determined to increase minority representation in the industry. Its Viola Cares program provides education, employment and other resources; in order to create 10,000 jobs within the cannabis industry for Black people.
Trending: Banking Giants Begin to Walk Their Talk on Climate Change
A 1% for the Planet account from Bank of the West, and new actions from Morgan Stanley and BlackRock, could signal turning point in big finance.
P&G Embraces Natural Climate Solutions to Achieve Global Climate Neutrality
The goal is to reduce its GHGs by 50%, use 100% renewable electricity at all manufacturing sites by 2030, and advance natural climate solutions to achieve carbon neutrality for the decade.
Your SDG Strategy Must Consider More Than Your Financials
Cross-Posted from New Metrics. The Sustainable Development Goals serve as an urgent call to action for companies to pay as much attention to their *extra-financial* performance as to their *financial* performance.
Regenerative Investing Key to Creating an Inclusive Economy
The recent spotlight on racial justice in the US has also highlighted the financial industry's role in perpetuating discrimination. Many have responded by donating money to nonprofits, but a regenerative approach to investing that start to undo decades of chronic underinvestment is needed.
Impact Investing Grows, But There’s Still a Long Road to Financial Inclusion
More funds and firms are targeting financially underserved communities, but the impact investing movement and government funding need to be more accessible and intentional to address systemic inequalities and racial disparities in investing.
Visa to Digitally Enable 50M Small Businesses, to Power Equitable Global Recovery
A new range of initiatives from Visa aims to further support small business recovery from COVID, and equip them to keep up with increasing demand for e-commerce and digital payments; with $100k in grants earmarked for US-based, Black women-owned small businesses.
How to Use Nature to Make Progress Across Several ESG Goals
Investors and shareholders leading the push for greater ESG performance recognize that ESG challenges are complex, evolving and nuanced. The Family Forest Carbon Program allows companies to address a range of critical ESG issues that benefit the environment and rural communities.
Achieving Racial Equity in the US Demands We Rethink Capitalism
Fixing centuries of racism and unequal access will require big changes in how we do business if we are to truly move towards a more equitable, fair, and just economy and society.
Financial Future for Factory Farms Looks Grim, Post-COVID
Cross-Posted from Supply Chain. New ‘Pandemic Ranking’ from $20T investor network warns that, with over 70% of animal agriculture firms at ‘high risk’ of creating future pandemics, COVID-19 could be the “straw that breaks the meat industry’s back.”
‘Quality of Life’ Economists Reveal Planning Tool for Values-Driven Entrepreneurs
Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. Happonomy’s Leap Model is a step-by-step plan that helps startups, businesses and organizations strengthen their foundations, evaluate resources and move ideas forward while staying true to their sustainability principles.
Canada, EU Attach Sustainable Strings to Their COVID-Recovery Plans
Both Canada and the European Union have unveiled plans to rebuild their post-pandemic recovery plans that put sustainability front and center. Will other governments follow suit?
$50M Venture Fund Aims to Bolster Sustainability Innovations by Women, Minorities
US-based CapStone Holdings has launched GameAbove Capital — a $50 million private venture fund focused on minority- and women-operated businesses offering sustainability-related products and services.
The World Has Changed, But Investor Interest in ESG Remains. What’s Expected of Your Company?
As the crisis continues to unfold, ESG topics will continue to grow in importance. Companies will be judged by their ability to withstand financial shocks, but also by how they’ve treated their employees, clients and communities.
Trending: Investors Show How to Stay the Future-Proof Course in a Post-COVID World
A new toolkit provides a roadmap for addressing risks to the ‘S’ part of ESG investing; while a new case study validates the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation’s bet on a fossil-fuel-free portfolio.
Predictions About the New Normal in Sustainable Investing Post-COVID-19
Many investment firms are modifying their strategies and valuation models over the long term in the wake of the pandemic. Over the next 12 to 36 months, the following six mega-trends promise to reshape the business practices and investing.
Q&A: How Companies Can Benefit from the AFF’s Family Forest Carbon Program
Cross-Posted from Collaboration. The American Forest Foundation’s new program harnesses the collective potential of smaller US landowners to help them participate in carbon markets and carbon-credit schemes — not only benefiting them, but helping the companies that support them fuel the fight against climate change.
How to Uplevel Your Reporting for a Post-COVID-19 World
Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. While it’s still too early to tell how significantly COVID-19 will alter our way of life, we’ve learned to challenge many of our preconceived notions about how to best do business — and solidifying your company’s place within this new order is critical. The true test is going to be whether we are capable of dramatic positive change even when not spurred by a global pandemic.