Welcome to Sustainable Views’ knowledge hub: the section of the site where we archive useful research we’ve read over the past weeks, so you can improve your knowledge and easily refer back to your favourite resources.
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Depth and breath of ESG regulation
Shareholder services provider ISS has taken on the task of trying to bring order to the jungle of ESG policy and regulation. In a recently released short report, it looked at taxonomies, disclosure frameworks, green bonds standards as well as stewardship efforts across regions.
It concluded that while Europe retains its frontrunner position in sustainable finance regulation, Asia is quickly catching up. Unsurprisingly, it confirmed what anyone active in this space suspects: scope, prescriptiveness and the mandatory nature of initiatives varies greatly across the world.
US corporate sustainability disclosures
The Conference Board, a US-based business membership club, has analysed environmental and social data of US listed companies, looking at information on anything from climate, water and biodiversity policies, the use of external assurance as well as the levels of diversity among the workforce as disclosed in annual and sustainability reports, proxy statements and company websites.
It found that sustainability disclosure is “underwhelming and patchy”, with 54 percent of S&P 500 companies and less than a third of Russell 3000 companies reporting on climate issues. Among those, it noted discrepancies in frequency of disclosures, with health care, communications, IT and financial services companies reporting less often than those in the utilities, real estate, energy industries. The study is packed with interesting charts. Worth a read.