According to CERES - while almost half of the 600 largest U.S. public companies communicate with investors about environmental, social and governance issues, they could be doing a much better job of it. One “constant refrain” heard from investors is that “if a company is not talking about its sustainability strategy and performance, they may conclude the company does not have a story to tell or, even worse, it’s hiding something.” Ceres offers a set of nine recommendations “to guide companies toward more meaningful and effective investor engagement on ESG issues.”
For example, one large global bank will report on credit card fees -- which make up a sizable revenue spread -- while another will not report such fees in their financials. Investors have a right to know this information – and now investors can see which banks -- for example -- are more transparent and accountable than others
Watch out United States EDGAR Online – the European Union is building a “next generation” -- “EDGAR-LIKE” corporate disclosure platform to be used by 28 EU member states for global investors that will be built upon BLOCKCHAIN and global financial and non-financial data access standards like eXtensible Business Reporting Language ( XBRL ) to expedite investments from global investors
Under the new changes in the EU Shareholders Rights Directive -- it will make it easier for shareholders residing in another European Union country to the location of the company in which it invests to participate in the general meetings of those companies and to vote on shareholder issues. The new rules require institutional investors and money management firms to be transparent about how they invest and engage with companies. The directive encourages these investors to adopt a more long-term focus in their investment strategies, and to consider social and environmental issues. The rules will be based on a “comply-or-explain” approach — if an investor does not comply with the rules they need to provide an explanation as to why
Interesting alarming report from the US GAO issued in January 2016 to Members of Congress on the need in the capital markets and more specifically -- public companies – to disclose in their reports and to the US SEC material risks related climate change so investors and the public can make better financial decisions. For example, risks related to the disrupting of supply chain of public companies that provides critical food, medicine, energy, and products that support the US economy can be of significant financial value to both investors and the public
From testimony before the US Senate Banking Committee: US Senator Sherrod Brown: “SEC should act to require uniform disclosure of corporate ESG factors, said ranking committee member Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. "Investors know there are many environmental, social, or political risks that could reduce long-term value, but companies are not providing that information," Mr
Great article in Sustainable Brands and the significance of non-financial reporting disclosure by companies and its direct relationship to investor behavior… According to a recent Ernst & Young survey : Investors are increasingly using non-financial performance to draw conclusions on value and to better inform their decisions, since it’s often a sign of operational excellence if a company shows they are handling environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues well
FROM December 28, 2016 BLOG POSTING: With the recent news that the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published a feedback statement setting out the use of Inline XBRL as the digital format which public companies in the European Union (EU) must use to report their company information to investors worldwide from January 1, 2020
At the summit -- Carney again called for improved disclosure of climate risks from listed firms to help ensure investors can respond appropriately to this growing international crisis