Library | ESG issues
Targets & Accountability
Targets and accountability are essential for ensuring organisations and governments follow through on commitments to sustainability, climate action, and social responsibility. Setting measurable and transparent targets such as net-zero goals, emissions reductions, diversity benchmarks, and human rights protections allows for tracking progress and holding entities accountable. Clear, data-driven targets strengthen stakeholder trust and help align financial and business strategies with long-term sustainability objectives.
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Finance and climate change: A comprehensive climate assessment of the world’s largest financial institutions
An analysis of the top 30 global financial institutions exposes a notable absence of immediate action on climate change. While pledging net-zero targets by 2050, their plans lack focus and lack measurable short-term actions. Urgent reshaping of activities is imperative for these institutions to effectively transition to a net-zero future.
Breaking the plastic wave: A comprehensive assessment of pathways towards stopping ocean plastic pollution
This report highlights innovative solutions and strategies that can reduce plastic pollution by 80% by transforming how plastic is produced, used, and managed. The report uses thorough analysis to identify specific opportunities for various stakeholders - from policymakers to businesses and consumers - to curb plastic waste and achieve measurable results.
Women's empowerment principles: Global trends report 2018
This report provides an analysis of data submitted by businesses using the Women's Empowerment Principles Tool, which measures companies' commitments to gender equality. Results indicate that while companies are making efforts to advance gender equality in their leadership and workplace, improvement is still needed in marketplace and community categories.
Sustainable voting behaviour of asset managers: Do they walk the walk?
This paper analyses a decade of voting data with more than 20 million observations to investigate asset manager characteristics that influence environmental, social and governance (ESG) voting patterns. Asset managers mostly vote against social and environmental proposals. Despite increased attention to sustainability, asset managers hardly voted in favour of these proposals.
Failure by design: Is the net zero asset managers initiative broken?
This initiative was designed to align asset managers' portfolios with net-zero targets. However, their methodology lacks standardisation and rigour, leading to ambiguous targets and little progress towards net zero. An overhaul of the initiative is needed to ensure asset managers are held accountable.
Superannuation fund trustee duties and climate change risk
This report analyses the duties of trustee directors in relation to climate change risk under the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993. It concludes that climate change risk should be considered by trustee directors to the extent that risks intersect with beneficiaries' financial interests. Trustees should weigh relevant information and keep records documenting the decision-making process.
Who pays for sustainability? An analysis of sustainability-linked bonds
This paper analyses sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs), which tie bond coupons to sustainability performance targets. They find issuing an SLB yields an average premium of -9 basis points on the yield at issue compared to a conventional bond, and the savings for an issuer exceed the maximum penalty for failure to meet the target.
UN Environment Programme's adaptation gap report series
The Adaptation Gap Report series provides yearly updates on global progress in climate change adaptation. It assesses the status of adaptation planning, implementation, and finance, highlighting the increasing gap between the need for adaptation and the actions taken.
'Signals of seriousness' for human rights due diligence
This discussion draft proposes a list of "signals of seriousness" that could inform administrative assessments of companies' HRDD efforts under potential EU legislation. The document provides comprehensive guidance on human rights and environmental due diligence and highlights key features of HRDD practices, offering critical insights to regulators seeking to enforce the proposed legislation.
Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials
The Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) is a collaborative initiative dedicated to standardising carbon accounting in the financial sector. Visit them to access resources and tools that enable financial institutions to measure and disclose their carbon impact, fostering a sustainable and transparent approach to environmental responsibility.
Danu Insight
Danu Insight is a leading authority on corporate climate lobbying, unravelling the truth behind companies' climate action claims and lobbying practices. Their AI-driven approach delivers transparent insights, empowering investors to align with authentic sustainability.
Toward a G20 framework for artificial intelligence in the workplace
This report advocates for creating a high-level, G20 framework using a set of principles for the introduction and management of big data and AI in the workplace. The paper identifies main issues and suggests two paths towards adoption.
Top 10 principles for ethical artificial intelligence
This report provides 10 principles for ethical artificial intelligence. From transparency in decision-making to ensuring a just transition and support for fundamental freedoms and rights, the report aims to empower workers and maintain a healthy balance of power in the workplace.
Montreal declaration for a responsible development of artificial intelligence
This report outlines a framework for responsible development of artificial intelligence. It provides principles that should guide ethical use of AI for the well-being of sentient beings, respect for autonomy, protection of privacy and intimacy, solidarity, democratic participation, equity, diversity inclusion, caution, responsibility, and sustainable development.
Ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI
The European Commission's AI High-Level Expert Group has released their Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI. The report provides a framework for creating lawful, ethical, and robust AI systems throughout the system's life cycle. The guidelines focus on respect for human autonomy, prevention of harm, fairness, and explicability.
AI policy principles
This report outlines the responsibility of industry and governments in promoting responsible development and use of artificial intelligence. The policy principles focus on the integration of principles into the design of AI technologies, investment in AI research and development, and collaboration through public-private partnerships.
