Library | ESG issues

Environmental

The environmental pillar in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) assesses an organisation’s impact on the planet. It includes issues such as climate change, biodiversity, waste management and water management. Strong environmental practices help businesses reduce risks, comply with regulations, and drive long-term sustainability.

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In search of impact: Measuring the full value of capital

Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
This report outlines a sustainable investment framework, designed to empower individuals and organisations to better understand and make informed investment choices. The framework utilises six themes to communicate the impact of financial flows into the economy and contains theoretically grounded metrics that can be practically applied.
Research
28 August 2019

The comprehensive business case for sustainability

Sustainable businesses redefine the corporate ecosystem by creating value for all stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, supply chains, civil society, and the planet. Managing sustainability risks requires making investment decisions today for longer-term capacity building and developing adaptive strategies. Significant cost reductions can result from improving operational efficiency, and sustainable companies deliver significant positive financial performance.
Research
21 October 2016

Opportunity NOCs: How investors can jumpstart energy transitions in national oil companies

International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
This report outlines how national oil companies (NOCs) must begin decarbonising to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, and how investors can influence and incentivise the energy transition. It shows that NOCs constitute half of the world’s oil and gas production and control two-thirds of global reserves, making them of great interest to investors.
Research
16 February 2023

The climate crisis is a child rights crisis: Introducing the Children's Climate Risk Index

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
The report highlights how one billion children are at extreme risk due to climate change with small island states and countries already facing existential threats. It is a call to action for businesses and governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and commit to sustainable practices.
Research
20 August 2021

Do socially responsible firms walk the talk?

This study evaluates U.S. firms that signed the Business Roundtable's stakeholder capitalism pledge. Despite claims of social responsibility, signatories performed worse on environmental, labor, and governance metrics than peers, both before and after signing. The results suggest these public commitments lacked substance and may have been strategic signaling.
Research
2 November 2023

An integrated framework to assess greenwashing

Climate Social Science Network (CCSN)
Companies, nonprofits, and governments are increasingly engaging in greenwashing despite regulations for misleading advertisements. This report provides a framework for detecting greenwashing in such claims for all actors, whether non-commercial or non-advertisements.
Research
16 September 2021

SDG action manager technical guide

United Nations Global Compact
This guide provides businesses with a web-based impact management solution to take action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through 2030. The guide describes the overall structure, module design, baseline module, SDG-specific modules, scoring methodology, and development process of the SDG Action Manager in a concise manner.
Research
18 January 2020

Sustainable investing: Establishing long-term value and performance

Deutsche Bank
The study finds that corporations with a commitment to sustainable investing have superior risk-adjusted returns. While fund managers face challenges in capturing the outperformance with some exceptions, they have not generally underperformed. Integrated reporting can be used to improve the transparency and accuracy of ESG information.
Research
15 June 2012

Renewable energy and Indigenous people

Indigeneous, Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC)
This paper outlines challenges and opportunities for Indigenous Australians in adopting renewable energy, emphasising successful partnerships with experienced developers. It stresses the importance of building knowledge and capability at various project scales and recommends support mechanisms to empower Indigenous communities in advancing their renewable energy projects.
Research
12 May 2022

At the crossroads: 10 years of implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in Australia

Australian Human Rights Commission
The report examines the implementation and impact of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in Australia over the past decade.
Research
22 September 2021

Net zero integrity: Assessment of the net zero pledges of Australian companies

University of Technology Sydney
This report assesses the net zero pledges of ten Australian companies, highlighting a gap between current voluntary commitments and the requirements of global standards. None of the firms have a comprehensive, quantified, and independently verified plan for reducing emissions in line with a science-based pathway.
Research
14 February 2024

Putting pandemics behind us: Investing in one health to reduce risks of emerging infectious diseases

The World Bank
This report discusses One Health, an approach that recognises the interdependent nature of human, animal, and environmental health. It presents an investment framework designed to mobilise finance for pandemic prevention and reduce the risks of emerging infectious diseases.
Research
21 October 2022

Navigating energy transitions: Mapping the road to 1.5°C

International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
This report maps the road to 1.5°C in energy transitions, discussing pathways and policies to achieve this goal. It highlights the role of investors in driving the energy transition, and the need for mandatory disclosure requirements and robust reporting frameworks to achieve material impact.
Research
24 October 2022

Are corporate biodiversity commitments consistent with delivering ‘nature-positive’ outcomes? A review of ‘nature-positive’ definitions, company progress and challenges

This article examine the emerging trend of "nature-positive" in business and large corporations. The authors propose key criteria to distinguish 'nature-positive' approaches from previous iterations, analyse company sustainability reports, and examine progress from 2016 to 2021.
Research
15 December 2022

Climate poverty connections: Opportunities for synergistic solutions at the intersection of planetary and human well-being

Project Drawdown
The report highlights co-benefits of climate solutions that also improve human well-being. The report focuses on sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and shows the potential of environmental solutions to help relieve poverty. It also recommends further evaluation on existing solutions and assessing unintended consequences.
Research
7 April 2022

Investor climate action plans (ICAPs): Guidance on using the expectations ladder

The Investor Agenda
This report provides guidance to investors on using the ICAPs Expectations Ladder to disclose their climate action plans. It covers investment, corporate engagement, policy advocacy, investor disclosure, and governance with specific recommendations. The report includes a glossary of terms and maps existing disclosures to the Ladder's expectations.
Research
7 July 2022
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