Library | ESG issues
Oversight, Assurance & Audit
Effective oversight, assurance, and audit are essential for organisations to manage risks and ensure the integrity of both financial and sustainability reporting. Boards and senior executives are responsible for overseeing risk management processes, obtaining assurance that principal risks are identified, managed, and monitored, and ensuring the effectiveness of internal controls. Audits, whether financial or sustainability-focused, involve independent evaluations of an organisation’s reports and controls to provide stakeholders with confidence in the accuracy and reliability of disclosed information.
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The role of government in corporate governance: Perspectives from the UK
The report examines the UK government's role in corporate governance, identifying four key functions: enhancing competitive advantage, compensating for self-regulation failures, preventing corporate scandals, and reassuring the public of its oversight. It evaluates regulatory frameworks, corporate failures, and policy developments, highlighting implications for governance, politics, and economic stability.
Developing responsible chatbots for financial services: A pattern-oriented responsible AI engineering approach
The report outlines a pattern-oriented engineering approach for responsible AI in financial services. It identifies challenges in scaling responsible AI, introduces a Responsible AI Pattern Catalogue for addressing lifecycle risks, and provides case studies on chatbot development. The study underscores governance, process, and product strategies to operationalise responsible AI principles effectively.
The BankTrack human rights benchmark reports
The BankTrack Human Rights Benchmark series evaluates commercial banks globally, with a global and regional focus including Latin America, Asia, and Africa. It assesses 50 of the world’s largest private sector commercial banks against the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, examining policy commitments, due diligence, reporting, and remedy processes to ensure compliance with human rights standards.
Global partnerships case study: Measuring and managing financial inclusion outcomes
This case study explores how Global Partnerships adopts outcomes-focused impact measurement and management (IMM) practices. It highlights the importance of tracking both development and intermediate outcomes in financial inclusion to ensure investments genuinely benefit underserved populations and achieve measurable social impact while mitigating potential risks.
Fast-track CSRD compliance: Best practices on how to manage CSRD implementation
The report offers guidance for companies navigating the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). It emphasises the importance of double materiality, strategic planning, and organisational readiness. Key practices include gap analysis, leveraging existing infrastructures, and ensuring compliance to minimise risks and create value through effective sustainability reporting.
Improving governance on nature-related risks and opportunities
This brief highlights how biodiversity loss poses risks to businesses and urges company directors to integrate nature considerations into strategic planning. It assesses companies' practices using the World Benchmarking Alliance's Nature Benchmark and provides key insights for directors to manage nature-related risks and opportunities, enhancing corporate resilience in a nature-positive transition.
Financial system interactions with ecosystem tipping points: Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon and Indonesian peatlands
Examining the interplay between financial systems and ecological thresholds, this research identifies pivotal financial flows linked to land use changes in the Brazilian Amazon and Indonesian peatlands. It proposes targeted interventions to steer these investments towards sustainable practices, emphasising the need for global policy alignment to mitigate the systemic risks posed by ecosystem tipping points.
A director’s guide to mandatory climate reporting
This guide covers Australia’s mandatory climate reporting, requiring large entities to disclose climate risks and opportunities from January 2025. It provides directors with practical steps for compliance, focusing on governance, strategy, and risk management, and encourages proactive engagement to build long-term organisational resilience.
Certifications Red Flags tool
This tool helps finance professionals identify potential risks in investment certifications. It provides a structured framework for assessing the credibility of certifications, enhancing decision-making in responsible investment practices. Users can access key indicators of reliability and transparency in various certifications.
finra
FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) is a not-for-profit organisation that regulates broker-dealers and securities firms to protect investors and ensure market integrity. It provides education, registration, and oversight for financial professionals. FINRA enforces compliance with securities laws and regulations to maintain fair financial markets in the United States.
The ITSCI laundromat: How a due diligence scheme appears to launder conflict minerals
This report investigates how the International Tin Supply Chain Initiative (ITSCI) allegedly launders conflict minerals from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It highlights serious failings in the traceability system, enabling smuggling, militia involvement, and child labour in the mineral trade. Recommendations include structural reforms and stricter enforcement by governments and companies.
Combining AI and domain expertise to assess corporate climate transition disclosures
This paper introduces an assessment framework for corporate disclosures on climate transition strategies. It identifies 64 indicators from 28 frameworks, develops a natural language processing (NLP) tool to automate disclosure assessment, and analyses disclosures of carbon-intensive companies. The findings reveal that companies often prioritise reporting targets over concrete implementation actions.
Alignment assessment of industry programmes with the OECD Minerals Guidance
The report evaluates the extent to which five industry programmes align with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for responsible mineral sourcing. It highlights gaps and improvements in standards and implementation, focusing on due diligence, risk assessment, and audit practices across mineral supply chains.
2024 good practice guide
This guide provides essential guidelines for companies and investors to enhance human rights due diligence, particularly in supply chains. It emphasises transparency, risk assessment, and responsible purchasing practices to combat forced labour. The guide also offers practical examples and benchmarks, helping stakeholders align with global standards and improve corporate disclosures.
Shareaction's insuring disaster benchmark series
The "Insuring Disaster" series by ShareAction evaluates the responsible investment and underwriting practices of the world's largest insurers, focusing on their approaches to critical environmental and social issues. This benchmark series highlights the industry's impact on climate, biodiversity, and human rights, offering actionable recommendations for improvement.
Climate TRACE
Climate TRACE is a comprehensive tool for tracking global greenhouse gas emissions. Utilising satellite data and AI, it provides real-time insights, helping finance professionals assess environmental impacts and make informed decisions. This tool supports ESG integration and sustainability in financial practices.
