Library | ESG issues
Social
The social pillar in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) assesses a organisation’s impact on people and society. It covers labour practices, diversity and inclusion, human rights and community engagement. Prioritising social responsibility not only benefits society but also mitigates risks, strengthens reputation, and creates long-term value for businesses and investors.
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Investor toolkit on human rights
This toolkit provides practical guidance for institutional investors to assess and address human rights risks within investment activities. With tools, case studies and standard-setting activities, this investor toolkit encourages proactive management of human rights risks.
The elephant in the room: Aligning global bonds markets with climate goals
The global bond market is crucial for the achievement of the Paris Agreement's climate goals. This report analyses the alignment of corporate bonds with these goals while identifying challenges and proposing potential solutions, including the use of asset-level data and revaluation of benchmarks.
Scaling impact: Exploring 'success' in relation to impact investments
This study aims to explore the definition of success in social impact investments and how to scale them up. Challenges such as negotiation, execution, and outcomes measurement were identified. Measures for supporting scaling include data sharing, funding, and intellectual property (IP) valuation.
Inside out inclusion: How to make better decisions and create an amazing team culture by valuing and including different viewpoints, styles and people
This report presents an inside-out inclusion model for improving team culture and decision-making. It covers how to improve self-awareness, value people, work together, make decisions, and adapt and grow. The model is backed by frameworks, tools, and reflection exercises.
Corporate resilience and response to COVID-19
This paper explores COVID-19's impact on corporate resilience and the effectiveness of corporate responses. Analysis of 2,000 companies shows that firms that invested in stakeholder relations performed better. The study reveals machine learning-linked big data provides new means to measure corporate responses and crisis management.
Financing our future: Actions to scale up and accelerate the pace of change towards a more sustainable financial system
This report offers actionable recommendations to the world's finance sector. This report presents evidence on the importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria and outlines key actions for finance actors across numerous industries to advance toward a sustainable financial system.
The impact potential assessment framework (IPAF) for financial products
The Impact Potential Assessment Framework for financial products (IPAF) is a multi-purpose tool developed to assess products based only on their actions to generate real-life impact. Using public information, it evaluates the product's maximum impact potential through four widely documented mechanisms.
Experimental evidence for tipping points in social convention
This study shows the theoretical and empirical existence of a tipping point for changing social conventions. Minority groups can overturn established behaviour by reaching a critical mass, expected to vary depending on social setting. The findings offer insight for organizations with potential shifts in conventional behaviour.
Defining social norms and related concepts
This report defines social norms as the perceived unwritten rules deemed acceptable and influential in guiding human behaviour within a community. Social norms can be beneficial or harmful and influence collective change. The report distinguishes injunctive norms, descriptive norms, moral norms, and attitudes to establish behaviour change interventions.
Why circular business models fail and what to do about it: A preliminary framework and lessons learned from a case in the European Union
Circular business models fail to scale due to cultural, regulatory, economic, and technical barriers. This report proposes a preliminary empirical framework for linking circular business models to specific barriers and offers four lessons for managerial strategies.
Do investors care about impact?
Investors care about sustainable investments, but not enough to pay substantially more for more impact. A framed field experiment revealed investors’ preference was an emotional rather than a calculative valuation of impact. This preference is driving the market, as managers provide little quantitative evidence of sustainability impact, according to the report.
Safe and just Earth system boundaries
This report sets safe and just Earth system boundaries (ESBs) for domains including climate, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and identifies sub-global ESBs for avoiding Earth system destabilization. Achieving these ESBs requires a systemic transformation across sectors and addressing drivers of Earth system change for a safe and just future.
Assessing pharma companies’ response to COVID-19 and the threat of future pandemics
This report analyses pharmaceutical companies’ response during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, their performance in terms of registration and applying equitable access strategies for COVID-19 vaccines, voluntary licensing agreements and technology transfers, and forward-looking assessment of their preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics.
Definitions for responsible investment approaches
This report provides definitions for different responsible investment approaches - Screening, ESG Integration, Thematic Investing, Stewardship, and Impact Investing. It aims to standardise terminology, enabling investors to communicate their responsible investment practices with clarity, consistency, and confidence.
Mobilizing money and movements: Creative finance for food systems transformations
This report explores creative financing strategies for transforming food systems. Through six case studies, it showcases levers of change for transformational investing, including blended finance, shared ownership, and diverse investment types. The report emphasizes community engagement and local food production to build sustainable and resilient food systems.
Constructive corporate engagements: From a corporate perspective
This research focuses on constructive corporate engagement. This report analyses survey results from 100 senior company directors and interviews with ten executives to examine the drivers of successful engagements. Insights include the importance of collaborating with companies, focusing on material issues, and using standard metrics for success.
