SocialFunds.com Daily news from Socialfunds.com covering socially responsible investing and corporate responsibility http://www.socialfunds.com Companies Voice Their Support for Effective Climate Change Legislation By Robert Kropp. Asserting that the US has already fallen behind other countries in the development of renewable energy technologies, the We Can Lead lobbying campaign brings businesses to Washington DC to call for legislation that includes a price on carbon. First of a two-part series. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2910.html news@socialfunds.com Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Companies That Aggressively Pursue Sustainability Are Reaping Benefits By Robert Kropp. A report from the MIT Sloan Management Review and the Boston Consulting Group finds that while the majority of companies view sustainability as a response to external pressures, some are finding profitability in its practice. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2909.html news@socialfunds.com Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Seventh Auction of Carbon Allowances by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Yields $88 Million for Clean Energy Investment By Robert Kropp. As doubts about passage of federal cap-and-trade legislation grow, total proceeds from Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative auctions increase to more than $582 million. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2908.html news@socialfunds.com Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Draft Financial Reform Bill Includes Provisions for Shareowner Rights By Robert Kropp. Proposed bill will strengthen corporate governance by providing shareowners with proxy access and annual votes on executive compensation. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2907.html news@socialfunds.com Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Shareowner Activists Request Better Disclosure of Strategic Risks by Oil Sands Developers By Robert Kropp. Investor group led by Boston Common Asset Management in the US and FairPensions in the UK joins forces to engage with BP and Shell on disclosure of strategic risk mitigation in Canadian oil sands developments. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2906.html news@socialfunds.com Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Connecticut AG Sues Rating Agencies for Their Role in Financial Meltdown By Robert Kropp. Lawsuit charges that Moody's and Standard & Poor's knowingly assigned inflated ratings to investments backed by sub-prime loans in order to earn lucrative fees. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2905.html news@socialfunds.com Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Lack of Government Policy, Not Technology, Is Barrier to Climate Change Mitigation By Robert Kropp. A climate scientist and a business leader join forces to assert the validity of climate science, and recommend the adoption of a market-based cap-and-trade program. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2904.html news@socialfunds.com Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST More Than 60 Companies Voluntarily Adopt Annual Shareowner Votes on Executive Compensation By Robert Kropp. Companies adopting say-on-pay include many in the financial industries, and all TARP recipients mandated to do so last year; in the absence of legislation or regulations, activist shareowners file more than 70 resolutions on the issue this year. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2903.html news@socialfunds.com Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Forced Child Labor Remains Widespread in Cotton Fields of Uzbekistan By Robert Kropp. A report from the Environmental Justice Foundation finds that up to two million children are forced into working in Uzbekistan’s cotton fields, and recommends that apparel retailers improve monitoring of their supply chains to ensure that forced labor is not a part of them. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2902.html news@socialfunds.com Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Investors File Record Number of Shareowner Resolutions on Climate Change By Robert Kropp. Organizations that have filed resolutions addressing oil sands operations, quantitative greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, and coal ash waste disposal, express strong support for SEC guidance on climate change disclosure. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2901.html news@socialfunds.com Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST UNEP Report Describes Urgent Need to Address E-Waste By Robert Kropp. With growth of e-waste in developing countries expected to multiply by 2020, the report identifies technologies that can increase recycling rates and generate jobs in a low-carbon economy. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2900.html news@socialfunds.com Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Vodafone Tops List of Sustainable ICT Companies By Robert Kropp. Ranking of the largest global information and communication technology companies finds strengths in product innovation and supply chain engagement, but room for improvement in emissions reduction and stakeholder engagement. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2899.html news@socialfunds.com Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Social Investors Brainstorm Responses to Citizens United By Robert Kropp. Possible actions in response to the Supreme Court decision include voluntary disclosure of corporate political spending, regulatory action by the SEC, and Congressional legislation. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2898.html news@socialfunds.com Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST MSCI Will Acquire RiskMetrics By Robert Kropp. Implications are uncertain for the ESG investment research industry, whose consolidation has been driven in large part by acquisitions by RiskMetrics. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2897.html news@socialfunds.com Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST Shareowner Activists Galvanized by Citizens United Decision By Robert Kropp. Financial and reputational risks associated with corporate political spending lead to successful shareowner engagement and request that S&P 500 companies agree to disclose political donations. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2896.html news@socialfunds.com Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST PRI Commits Investors to Consideration of Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues By Robert Kropp. A white paper published by the Corporate Library explores the impact and potential of the Principles for Responsible Investment in North America. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2895.html news@socialfunds.com Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST People Capital Launches Peer Lending Platform for Qualified Education Loans By Robert Kropp. Following an SEC clarification of peer lending products as securities, People Capital hopes that social investors will use its lending platform to execute their missions. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2894.html news@socialfunds.com Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST Study Finds No Correlation Between Consumer Perception of Corporate Environmental Performance and Verifiable Data By Robert Kropp. A study by New Scientist magazine employs data from ESG research provider Trucost, and finds that companies perceived by consumers as green often lag in environmental disclosure. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2893.html news@socialfunds.com Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST Companies Exposed to Water Risks Are Providing Investors With Too Little Data By Robert Kropp. Report from Ceres, UBS, and Bloomberg Professional finds that reporting on water risks by companies in water-intensive industry sectors is insufficient. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2892.html news@socialfunds.com Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST Investors Call on 86 Global Compact Signatories to Produce Annual Communication on Progress By Robert Kropp. A coalition of investor signatories to the Principles for Responsible Investment identify 86 large, publicly traded companies as laggard in producing annual Communications on Progress as required by the Global Compact, and urge them to do so or risk delisting. http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2891.html news@socialfunds.com Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST