Library | Sustainable Finance Practices
Governance and directors’ duties
Resources on the responsibilities of boards and directors in overseeing sustainability, ensuring accountability, fulfilling fiduciary duties, and promoting long-term value creation.
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The role of women on boards in corporate environmental strategy and financial performance: A global outlook
This paper examines the relationship between board gender diversity and environmental strategy and financial performance of firms. Empirical findings indicate that women on boards promote proactive environmental strategies leading to a sustained competitive advantage in both short-term and long-term financial performance.
Climate governance study 2024: Moving from vision to action
This study reveals that Australian directors increasingly prioritise climate change as a material governance issue. However, stakeholders are pulling in a variety of directions, making it challenging for organisations to execute their climate strategies. Policy uncertainty poses the most significant obstacle for climate governance, although the implementation of mandatory climate reporting from July 2025 presents an opportunity for greater accountability.
Greenwashing: A governance perspective
This report provides an overview of greenwashing practices and their impact. The report expounds on the various forms of greenwashing and highlights the need for governance professionals to ensure accurate claims by companies. It also touches on Australia's legal and regulatory environment as regards greenwashing and contains helpful advice on how to manage it.
The state of AI governance in Australia
This report reveals that Australian organisations lack structured governance around AI systems. Corporate leaders should invest in expertise, create a comprehensive AI strategy, implement addressing risks and support a human-centered culture. The appropriate governance of AI systems is critical for corporate leaders to mitigate risks.
Global Governance Principles
The Global Governance Principles (GGPs) from the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) are corporate governance standards that act as a framework for well-governed companies to follow. The GGPs are widely applicable, irrespective of national legislative frameworks or listing rules.
Climate solutions at work: An employee guide to drawdown-aligned business
This guide is for employees concerned about climate change and offers a suite of transformative actions that redefine business climate leadership by looking beyond “net zero”. It aims to democratise climate action so that all employees can contribute to climate solutions and helps employees across all sectors find their inroad.
Preventing modern slavery and human trafficking: An agenda for action across the financial services sector
This report combines research, resources and advice for financial institutions to use for information, awareness and guidance in implementing measures to address modern slavery and human trafficking concerns within their supply chain and operations.
The return on purpose: Before and during a crisis
This paper demonstrates that investment in corporate purpose can improve company performance. To study the impact of purpose on performance, the authors conducted analysis on how corporate purpose relates to company financial performance, market valuation and shareholder value creation.
Blueprint for business leadership on the SDGs: A principles-based approach
Business cannot thrive unless people and planet are thriving. This publication presents a framework for the next generation of business leadership with the intention to foster contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals at scale.
Corporate governance principles and recommendations: 4th edition
The report sets out eight principles and thirty-five recommendations of corporate governance practices for listed entities on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The principles and recommendations address emerging issues around culture, values, and trust. It includes governance standards around disclosure, gender diversity, corporate reporting, risk management and director remuneration.
Can government policies that drive strong economic outcomes for the private sector alleviate poverty?
The report examines how the adoption of policies that drive strong economic outcomes for the private sector often reduce poverty in the developing world, primarily through opportunities for job creation. In particular, the report calls for policies that promote greater access to credit and the protection of minority investors.
Women on boards and the human capital connection
Companies with a gender diverse board and stronger talent management practices enjoyed higher growth in employee productivity compared to companies with a diverse board only or with strong talent management practices only. Companies with mostly male boards and lagging talent management practices had the lowest rates of employee productivity growth.
Ethics in the boardroom: A decision-making guide for directors
This report guides company directors in making ethical decisions in the boardroom. It seeks to support and strengthen a board’s capacity to reason by providing a decision-making framework, key questions to frame board deliberations and practical examples of ethical dilemmas.
Unlocking Australia's sustainable finance potential
Recommendations on actions by Australian Government and finance sector for unlocking the potential of sustainable finance in Australia. The basis of these recommendations are the European Union's Action Plan on sustainable finance that was adopted by the European Commission in March 2018 and the likelihood of their success in Australia.
Directors' liability and climate risk: Comparative paper - Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom
The report provides a high-level legal analysis of directors' duties that relate to climate risk in four major Commonwealth countries: Australia, Canada, South Africa and United Kingdom. It captures the evolving priorities of organisations and their need to provide greater transparency on climate risks.
Women's empowerment principles: Equality means business
The UN Women and United Nations Global Compact's collaboration provides a framework of principles for businesses to integrate gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community. The report highlights that women's empowerment will have a positive effect on business success and society.