ESG, Cyber Risk and Compliance
Ongoing wars abroad, political division and election year uncertainty in the United States, along with continuing state, federal, and global regulatory discord on sustainability and artificial intelligence, among other...more
Sustainability reporting is expanding across all industry sectors. Foremost among these is the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which takes effect in 2024. At the same time, the IFRS is also expanding...more
The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), established by the IFRS Foundation (IFRS), issued a comprehensive global baseline of disclosure standards to facilitate consistent and comparable disclosures on risks...more
On June 2, 2023, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) issued a draft letter requesting comments on the International Sustainability Standards Board’s (ISSB) proposal to improve the international...more
Following completion by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) of IFRS S1 (General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information) and IFRS S2 (Climate-related Disclosures), on...more
ESG? SDGs? SASB? GRI? TCFD? The world of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) is littered with acronyms and can seem like an alphabet soup to companies just getting started. This article introduces you to some of the...more
Blackrock’s recently released 2023 Investment Stewardship Global Principles, identifies several key themes to guide stakeholders and promote sound corporate governance regarding sustainability-related issues. At a high level,...more
From Amazon to Walmart, companies across the globe are striving to implement ESG initiatives that can stand up to increased scrutiny. The energy industry, like all industries, is facing the possibility of new standards...more
The move follows a number of similar standards that regulators and governments across the globe have proposed. With effect from 1 June 2022, the Guidance for Enterprise ESG Disclosure (the Guidance), published by...more
Discover how to set and accomplish your ESG goals - Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) is no longer an isolated function within a company, nor is it an issue only for publicly traded companies. It’s front and...more
The number of frameworks and standards in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) space can be overwhelming. While various organizations have set up different standards and frameworks, last year five of them — the...more
Public companies will be required to disclose climate risks and greenhouse gas emissions under President-elect Biden’s administration. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will institute rulemaking and guidance on the...more
This paper attempts to provide a definition and context for the term, Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”), explain how and why it is used, demonstrate how investors are driving the proliferation of ESG reporting,...more
Companies across industries—from retail to high tech to financial services—are touting their sustainability initiatives to attract and retain customers and employees. But investors are similarly clamoring for regular...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee’s Investor-as-Owner Subcommittee recently voted 14-4 to approve a recommendation that urges the Commission (SEC) to begin an effort to update the...more
- On February 25, 2020, SASB unanimously approved a standard-setting project that will clarify and improve metrics used to measure performance on sustainable raw materials sourcing in the apparel, accessories and footwear...more
The SEC proposed updates to Regulation S-K to modernize, simplify and enhance financial disclosures, here. The SEC’s press release, here, summarizes the changes as well as any law firm memo (but see here and here if you don’t...more
BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street Global Advisors are the world’s three largest asset managers, collectively representing over $16 trillion in AUM, including 81% of all ETF assets. These “Big Three” investors collectively...more
The Situation: BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm, announced initiatives to make climate change and other sustainability issues a cornerstone of its investment strategy, including plans to increase offerings...more
In a significant development for ESG and corporate governance, BlackRock is now calling on the public companies it invests in to publish disclosures in line with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the...more
Making waves in the financial world on January 14th, Laurence Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, Inc., the world’s largest asset manager, announced that BlackRock will be increasingly disposed to vote against board directors if...more
BlackRock’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink issued his annual letter to CEOs and a letter to clients on January 14, 2020. Both letters focused on the importance of climate change and sustainability in the...more
On January 14th, BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink issued his annual letter to portfolio company CEOs, this year titled “A Fundamental Reshaping of Finance.” The letter focuses on the potential effect that climate change will have...more
Way back in 2016, the SEC issued a Concept Release requesting comment on an enormous variety of potential changes to Reg S-K, including sustainability. As reported by BNA, then-Director of Corp Fin, Keith Higgins, advised...more