Governance and stewardship news

Japan’s listed companies are increasing their focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey by the country’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF).

Not-for-profit sustainability advocacy organization Ceres is urging companies and investors to get behind its campaign for more disclosure on carbon footprints.

Investors managing $2.9 trillion worth of assets have written to US congressional leaders calling on them to back a new law to improve tax transparency

Transparency in reporting on social issues is a powerful way for businesses to build trust, create accountability, show leadership, and move the dial on seemingly indelible industry-wide issues. It is also a key factor for ESG investors who want to show alignment with increasingly stringent ESG regulations.

Today, investors are increasingly aware that all forms of capital, including natural capital, contribute to long-term sustainable growth. To mark Earth Day 2021, Minerva published a Briefing on Biodiversity and Stewardship to help investors consider the role of natural capital in their investments.

China has set targets to reduce its energy-related carbon emissions, but will the energy sector be able to deliver? Minerva has asked Asia Research & Engagement to share their perspective on some recent developments.

New rules forcing asset managers and other financial services providers to disclose climate change risks will come into force later this year, the UK regulator has said.

The UK government has formally committed to investment in green business and to setting binding environmental targets.

The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) has urged the UK government to accelerate its push toward sustainable finance as part of its net zero goals. City Minister and Economic Secretary to the Treasury said, “the transition to sustainable finance is well underway and it is irreversible”.

The US Department of Labor is set to formally abandon Trump-era plans to introduce anti-ESG legislation, and will engage with stakeholders to introduce new rules.

Businesses and investors in Germany are facing a fresh wave of environmental regulation after the government unveiled a new green investment strategy.

The European Commission (EC) is making stringent new demands on companies’ reporting of their impact on the environment, as it looks to drive investors’ money towards the greenest firms.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the US is ready to rejoin the fight against climate change “after sitting on the sidelines for four years”.

A coalition of almost 200 US shareholder groups has launched a campaign to overthrow new SEC rules that they claim are an “an attack on corporate democracy”.

The financial services sector needs to “rethink our prescriptive approach” to environmental and societal problems, according to a leading US regulator.