ESG, Cyber Risk and Compliance
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
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
Who is Now Subject to Climate-Related Financial Disclosures? Issuers of standard listed equity shares and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) will now be required to satisfy certain previously issued climate-related...more
The standards are part of a global initiative to consolidate sustainability disclosures to help investors assess the value of companies. On 31 March 2022, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) released...more
On March 21, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a comprehensive set of proposed rules mandating climate-related risk disclosures for public companies (Proposed Rule). For some the release marks...more
Climate change has long been an area of focus for investors. Over the past several months, companies have come under greater scrutiny and have begun to face increased pressure from investors, regulators, activists, and the...more
On October 20th, SEC Commissioner Lee delivered a speech focused on the regulations concerning climate disclosures that the SEC is expected to issue soon. (Indeed, Commissioner Lee emphasized that these regulations are...more
The SEC recently issued a public statement asking investors, companies and other market participants to share their views on climate change disclosure. Comments are due by June 13, 2021 and can be submitted via the SEC...more
As society reckons with the enormous danger of climate change, there is no question that corporations must take responsibility for their contributions to rampant global warming, while working to reduce their emissions. For...more
In his 2021 letter to CEOs, BlackRock CEO Laurence Fink asked companies to disclose a “plan for how their business model will be compatible with a net zero economy”—that is, “one that emits no more carbon dioxide than it...more
Companies that count State Street Global Advisors as an investor should review its CEO Cyrus Taraporevala’s just-released annual letter on its proxy voting agenda, which has significant updates on voting policies with regard...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
On August 3, 2020, the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (“PCAF”) released a draft standard outlining a proposed approach for global carbon accounting. This standard, the “Global Carbon Accounting Standard for the...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
Considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors when making an investment is no longer solely the province of “impact-first” investors—those who prioritize social or environmental impact above return on...more
Although the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting sharp economic pullback has caused BlackRock to temporarily pause the prioritization of its ESG focus for issuers on climate change and related risk, Public Company boards...more
In January 2020, two of the largest asset managers, State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) and BlackRock, emphasized that they will hold Boards of Directors accountable for not making significant progress on sustainability and...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