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.
Trending: Barclays, TD Bank Catalyze Low-Carbon Economy Through Sustainable Finance
Catalyzing the transition to a low-carbon economy will require more than just innovation — capital is required to bring meaningful solutions to scale. Banks have an important role to play, providing investors and businesses alike with the tools necessary to incentivize and drive change.
The Sustainability Practitioner’s (Basic) Guide to Investors
As a reformed banker, I tend to be alert whenever I hear folks talking about investment and investors. Over the past few Sustainable Brands events, I’ve noticed, however, that the language can sometimes be a bit muddled around this topic. Investors are often lumped into one homogenous bunch, whose needs and duties are not really understood. The differences between the types of investment product and the accompanying financial risk-reward can be confused.
225 Global Investors Team Up to Spur Most Polluting Companies Into Action on Climate Change
Climate risk poses a considerable threat to investors, who stand to lose millions If companies fail to address unsustainable elements in their supply chains. Yet despite growing pressure for action, a vast majority of companies have yet to make meaningful changes.
2nd Livelihoods Carbon Fund Poised to Prevent 25MT of C02 Emissions
On December 11, 2017, ahead of the One Planet Climate Summit, Crédit Agricole, Danone, Firmenich, Hermès, Michelin, SAP, Schneider Electric and Voyageurs du Monde will officially launch the new Livelihoods Carbon Fund.
Why Natural Capital Accounting and the SDGs Are Critical Components of Each Other’s Success
A report launched at the World Forum on Natural Capital (WFNC) in Edinburgh, Scotland last week examines the vanishing wealth of the world’s nature, and the growing systemic risk that represents to global economies and societies.
Wilmar Embraces Sustainability-Linked Finance, Unveils Child Protection Policy
Wilmar International, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, has announced major steps forward in reducing its environmental and social impacts. The company has worked out an innovative financial deal with ING to link its existing loan to its sustainability performance, and has unveiled a policy aimed at protecting children living on its palm oil plantations. But human rights campaigners say it may be little more than a band-aid.
'We Haven't Even Scratched the Surface': Insights from the World Forum on Natural Capital
Factoring the value of nature into governance and corporate decision-making is not an easy task, but governments and businesses are starting to recognize the importance of natural capital accounting. According to the Natural Capital Coalition, 68 countries are looking to produce natural capital accounts, while 10 percent of WBCSD member companies mention the Natural Capital Protocol framework in their sustainability reporting.
Catalyst Credit Line: A Financial Lifeline for Pre-Profit, Sustainable Startups
Young, sustainable companies have it tough. With all that excitement and idealism in building a new company comes a mountain of obstacles to overcome. But for purpose-driven companies pursuing opportunities that also create impact, that risk/reward ratio may be even higher.
CDP: Inaction on Deforestation Is Putting $941B at Risk
A new report by CDP has revealed the extent to which deforestation threatens the global economy — and the numbers are staggering.
JPMorgan Chase Sinks $900K Into Sustainable Infrastructure for Detroit
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPMorgan Chase) is doing its part to get Detroit back on its feet, announcing a $900,000 investment to support sustainable infrastructure projects in the former Motor City. The firm has also revealed plans to retrofit over 70 percent of Chase branches in the city with LED lights and new building management systems.
CPAs and Sustainability Thought Leadership: An Interview with RISCPA CEO Bob Mancini
Ahead of his attendance at this week’s New Metrics ’17 conference in Philadelphia, we caught up with Bob Mancini, CEO of the Rhode Island Society of CPAs (RISCPA), to learn more about why the concept of sustainability is finally being recognized in the finance world, and what this means for the future of the industry.
Water Stewardship Ramps Up, But More Investment Needed to Mitigate Climate Change
Corresponding with the kickoff of COP23, the World Water Council (WWC) has shed light on the current state of water infrastructure and what it means for mitigating climate change and delivering on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The key takeaway: water infrastructure investment must triple to €255 billion annually in order to meet sanitation targets and tackle climate change.
HSBC Pledges $100 Billion to Tackle Climate Change
HSBC is making moves to tackle climate change, unveiling five new commitments aimed at helping drive the transition to a low-carbon economy. A major component of the financial giant’s climate push is a pledge to make $100 billion in financing available for sustainability projects by 2025.
Visa Launches Foundation, Grants $20M to Support Women Entrepreneurs
Building on its larger social impact strategy, which seeks to support the growth of micro and small enterprises around the world, Visa has launched the newly-incorporated Visa Foundation. As its first order of business, the Foundation has made a financial commitment of up to $20 million to Women’s World Banking.
CDP: Eight-Fold Increase in Global Companies Pricing Carbon Since 2013
Putting a price on carbon is becoming the new normal for major multinationals, with almost 1,400 companies[1] factoring an internal carbon price into business plans, according to a new report from CDP. This represents an eight-fold leap in take up in the last four years, compared to just 150 companies in 2014, and includes more than 100 Fortune Global 500 companies with collective annual revenues of US$7 trillion[2].
Beyond Disaster Relief: How Companies Can Run to the Rescue in ‘Silent’ Emergencies
This summer came to a calamitous end with the rapid succession of hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Jose, Maria and Nate, two earthquakes in Mexico, rampant wildfires currently raging across Northern and Southern California, and countless other natural and man-made disasters across the globe.
Bank-Fintech Partnership Offers New Funding Opportunities for Sustainably Minded Startups
P2Binvestor (P2Bi), a leading marketplace lending platform that offers crowdsourced, asset-secured lines of credit to growing companies with big ambitions, is catalyzing the growth of mission-aligned business with the launch of a first-of-its kind bank partnership program. The new program provides startups and emerging businesses an innovative way to quickly access capital while allowing banks to increase their addressable market and improve their conversion rates.
Salesforce Launches $50M Impact Investment Fund to Catalyze Positive Social Change
Salesforce Ventures, the corporate investment arm of Salesforce, a global leader in customer relationship management (CRM), has launched a $50 million impact investment fund to accelerate the growth of companies using Salesforce technology to address challenges across workforce development, equality, sustainability and the social sector.
Singularity University Accelerator Aims to Set Impact Entrepreneurs Up for Long-Term Success
With the backing of a group of impact investors, Singularity University, a global community with a mission to educate, inspire and empower leaders to apply exponential technologies to address the world’s most pressing challenges, has launched SU Ventures, a program designed to address the more long-term needs of impact-focused startups.
How SASB Is Helping JetBlue, Investors Get on the Same Page About Materiality
Earlier this year, JetBlue released its 2016 environmental and sustainability report, accompanied by a white paper produced according to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standard for the airline industry, which covers material environmental, social and governance (ESG) information of interest to investors.
