JyllandsPosten & Finans.dk made an interview with Center for ESG Research' Lead Researcher. We discussed many things - but amongst others we discussed the investors' use of ESG data. Danish companies get away with informing too little and too vaguely about their ESG - and the investors let them do it without posing any questions. [...]
Bæredygtig Business visited Center for ESG Research at DTU – and here is the podcast result of the dialogue on how the companies can make better CSR reports. The podcast covers the difference between CSR and ESG, the nuances of the Danish Statements Act, and how the investors can use the non-financial data. by Steffen [...]
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and PwC have released a new report focused on what investors need in order to make decisions that consider non-financial information – that is, information outside of financial statements including environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics. The report, titled “Enhancing the credibility of non-financial information,” highlights that investors [...]
Combining corporate sustainability performance scores based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) data with big data measuring public sentiment about a company’s sustainability performance, I find that the valuation premium paid for companies with strong sustainability performance has increased over time and that the premium is increasing as a function of positive public sentiment momentum. [...]
The objective of this Guidance is to provide practical information on how the core indicators could be measured in a consistent manner and in alignment with countries’ needs on monitoring the attainment of the SDG agenda. It is intended to serve as a tool to assist governments to assess the private sector contribution to the [...]
This report identifies five action areas where securities regulators can contribute to a more stable and resilient financial system that better supports the SDGs. These are: 1. Facilitate investment to support the delivery of the SDGs: Aid investment flows to towards achieving the SDGs via financial products. 2. Strengthen corporate sustainability-related disclosures: Improve the quality [...]
FSR - Danish Auditors hired Center for ESG Research to investigate the usability of the CSR reports of the 50 largest Danish companies - listed as well as unlisted. The analysis covers both the robustness of the reports, the connotation between the business and the sustainability activities, and not the least the use of the [...]
Center for ESG Research is interviewed by AM Watch to explore explanations for the retail investors use of the Morningstar ESG rating system – and potential use of a new low-carbon ratings. See here. (You need a subscription – but can sign up for 14 days free of charge)
Corporate governance theories generally suggest that institutional investors could effectively improve the quality of governance through intervention and threat to exit. However, passive institutional investors such as index funds and ETFs lack the ability to exit and may not have strong motivation to intervene, thus lowering the quality of governance of the firms they heavily [...]
While traditional socially responsible investors use Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance metrics to exclude “bad actor” companies from their portfolios, the new interest comes from those who hope to match or beat market performance benchmarks. The prevailing wisdom suggests, however, that corporate sustainability leadership only rarely translates into marketplace success and recent studies to [...]
