Welcome to the EIRIS responsible investment blog. Get our perspectives on the latest trends and developments in responsible investment and corporate social responsibility.
By Victoria Heath on 31 October 2011 | 10:25 am
Early this year, Lord Davies published his independent review into women on boards which recommended that UK listed companies in the FTSE 100 should be aiming for a minimum of 25% female board member representation by 2015.
Welcomed by many, the report made numerous recommendations to address gender inequality. Now that we are nearing the end of the year, I wonder how we are actually progressing? Read more >
By Virginia Jennings on 1 September 2011 | 3:30 pm
It all started with a conversation at an event. Peter Webster (EIRIS’ Executive Director) and Paul Clements-Hunt (Head of UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative) were at a UNEP FI conference in South Africa and got talking about the challenges facing the banking sector in the wake of the financial crisis.
A seed of an idea started to grow: helping the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) Read more >
By Victoria Heath on 26 August 2011 | 3:12 pm
Many values-led organisations choose to screen out investments in what some might consider to be controversial activities such as alcohol, tobacco, gambling and pornography. If pornography is an area of concern, which factors should you take into account when managing your investment portfolio?
Pornography is often included on the list of issues excluded by investors, along with alcohol, tobacco, Read more >
By Sheila Stefani on 8 August 2011 | 11:57 am
We’ve just completed the annual update of our sovereign bond sustainability ratings (as covered in today’s Financial Times) which assesses the sustainability performance of around 70 government bonds and ranks them according to more than 60 environmental, social and governance (ESG) indicators.
As ever, the extent to which countries differ in their approach to tackling key ESG challenges such as deforestation, biodiversity, Read more >
By Mark Robertson on 19 July 2011 | 2:27 pm
A year has passed since Vedanta Resources – the FTSE100-listed metals and mining company – was in the news for a series of high profile ESG failings.
In July 2010 Vedanta faced severe criticism from investors, NGOs and activists at its annual general meeting (AGM) for its poor performance on environmental, health and safety, indigenous and human rights issues. Read more >
By Coziana Ciurea on 15 July 2011 | 10:49 am
On 9th of July 2011 the Republic of Sudan split and Southern Sudan declared independence from the Northern region.
Following a January referendum where nearly 99% of Southern Sudanese voted for secession, the world’s newest state has received positive endorsement from its African neighbours and the international community. Read more >
By Mark Robertson on 8 July 2011 | 4:57 pm
The recent events surrounding the current phone hacking scandal at News Corp’s News of the World (NoW) newspaper are both troubling and dramatic.
The list of those identified as victims or possible victims of phone hacking by Glenn Mulcaire, the News of the World’s private investigator, seems to grow every day. At the same time, allegations also suggest the NoW paid bribes worth £100,000 to up to five police officers. Read more >
By Mark Robertson on 8 July 2011 | 10:44 am
Last week the new UK Bribery Act became law, overhauling existing legislation which dated back over a century and creating new offences that carry prison sentences of up to 10 years for individuals and unlimited fines for companies.
For many years, the UK lagged behind the US and the rest of Europe in tackling bribery and corruption and was heavily criticised by the OECD for failing to take corporate bribery seriously – especially in light of high-profile allegations of bribery, tracked by EIRIS as part of its Convention Watch product, involving large global corporations such as BAE Systems and Siemens. Read more >
