News

Credit Suisse Group, Switzerland’s second-largest banking corporation, has taken a tumble from its top position in the banking sector of the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index (DJSGI). Managers of the international index, which was launched in September 1999, said an in-depth monitoring procedure showed a “systematic weakness” in Credit Suisse’s dealings with money transfers in the mid-1990s from the entourage of Nigeria’s late dictator General Sani Abacha. The money transfers were disclosed last month in a report by Switzerland’s Federal Banking Commission. In light of this development, DJSGI has downgraded the 146-year-old company to second place among its banking industry components. Top spot has been taken by another Swiss giant, UBS, the world’s largest asset management company. ... lees meer

As a result of consumer activism and socially responsible investing, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a growing facet of public relations for businesses in the United States. A recent report based on a survey of key business opinion formers and decision makers in France, Germany, and the UK suggests that the level of CSR awareness in Europe is also developing rapidly. ... lees meer

Business Week’s September 11, 2000 cover story discusses how the American public is increasingly willing to challenge what it views as corporate misbehavior – from inflated CEO pay to political contributions to advertising in schools. Companies should take note, the article asserts, because it’s not just young people taking them to task: “Today, those Americans angry at corporations cut across generations, geography, and even income groups.” And with the Internet making it possible to share information more quickly and widely than ever before, discontented citizens have a powerful tool in their fight against corporate power. Lees verder op http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_37/b3698001.htm ... lees meer

Contrary to the belief that multinationals suffer from environmental regulation, large companies that adopt strict global environmental standards in developing countries are rewarded with higher stock market performance, according to a study published in a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMSÃ??). ... lees meer

Report Rates Environmental Record of Leading Oil Companies. With rising concerns over global warming, air pollution, and oil spills, few investors would classify any petroleum company as “green.” But a recent report from Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, a New York-based, specialized investment advisory firm, will help concerned investors discriminate between environmental leaders and laggards within the petroleum industry. ... lees meer

The first biodegradable carpet product on the market meets the industry leader’s goal of environmental sustainability. ... lees meer

The Sustainability Communication Platform (SCP) is an Internet based service to be launched in June 2000, designed to facilitate cost effective reporting and meaningful stakeholder dialogue on sustainability issues. It provides a format for reporting on policies, practices and performance data regarding sustainability, elaborating on existing guidelines such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which is flexible enough to be used by companies and organizations in different sectors and of all sizes. The SCP also provides forums for stakeholder dialogue, where all sides to the story will be heard. ... lees meer

OneWorld and the Dutch aid agency Hivos are to join forces to help organisations based in developing countries to use the Internet for sustainable development and human rights. ... lees meer

Corporate decisions have an ever greater effect upon society and the environment on a global level. As providers of information, we are aware that investors, consumers, employees and other stakeholders increasingly demand an assessment of the performance of companies in these areas to better inform their economic decisions and to exert positive influence upon corporate behaviour. There are differing experiences regaring disclosure on different issues, which also vary by country. But in general the availability of useful quality information is far below what is needed. No single strategy provides a universal solution to this problem. For society and company stakeholders to get the best out of the reporting of companies in the 21st Century a mix of regulatory, voluntary and market approaches is required. The Global Partners for Corporate Responsibility Research present the 10 following demands to governments, companies and all other participants in the global economy. ... lees meer

A growing number of developing countries are significantly cutting industrial pollution by using the combined power of local communities, stock markets, and the news media to police air and water discharges from private companies. This new community-based approach is proving more effective in curbing pollution than relying on traditional approaches to environmental regulation, which can often be under-funded, inefficient, and stymied by cronyism and corruption, according to a new World Bank report released today. The report – Greening Industry: New Roles for Communities, Markets and Governments – says this new approach is good news for some of the world’s poorest people, and shows how local industrial pollution can be held within acceptable bounds, without hindering growth. ... lees meer