5 Tips for a Flying Start of your DJSI 2019 Cycle

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Thank you for visiting the Finch & Beak website. Finch & Beak is now part of SLR Consulting, a global organization that supports its clients on setting sustainability strategies and seeing them through to implementation.

This is an exciting time for us, as our team now includes an array of new colleagues who offer advisory and technical skills that are complementary to our own including Climate Resilience & Net Zero, Natural Capital & Biodiversity, Social & Community Impact, and Responsible Sourcing.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to check out the SLR website, so you can see the full potential of what we are now able to offer.

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Now the list of all eligible companies for its 2019 assessment is revealed, companies are getting ready for the 2nd of April, when the new questionnaire will be released. The added value of ESG benchmarking comes from the fact that it provides insights of where your company's sustainability approach is doing well, and which areas are up for of improvement. Especially the Dow Jones Sustainability Index provides a high level of richness in its feedback that can serve as drivers for the internal departments and pointers for the continuous improvement of your program. The overall goal is to accelerate your company's impact through a sustainability program with a clear direction, delivering positive results in the ESG benchmarks as a positive outcome.

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DJSI 2019 Preparation Checklist.pdf

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1. Check your eligibility and industry classification

Check out the new DJSI universe to find out for which indices your company is eligible in 2019. Additionally, be also sure to check your industry classification, as this impacts your company’s questionnaire structure and peer group. The assigned industry can change if your company has had major developments in its business model or key activities. Spin-offs, mergers, IPOs or other forms of restructuring can also lead to changes in eligibility or industry classification.

2. Engage internal stakeholders & draft project plan

Step 2 is to gather all internal stakeholders for an internal kick-off session in which previous results are shared once again and plans for the upcoming weeks are drafted. Useful tools to develop your company’s project plan are the DJSI program canvas and our summaries of the webcasts hosted by RobecoSAM in 2018. Furthermore, RobecoSAM published its 2019 Sustainability Yearbook, which also gives more detailed industry insights.

DJSI Program Canvas
The canvas is designed to create the big picture on where your sustainability strategy currently is and how it connects with the DJSI criteria in order to identify your company’s improvement potential (based on Company Benchmarking Scorecard results). Part of the process is to rank interventions based on both impact and feasibility, in order to differentiate low hanging fruit from more structural and long-term improvements.

Summaries of 2018 webcasts
Topics included in last year’s webcasts were the ones where RobecoSAM applied major updates in the methodology in comparison with the previous assessments. Topics covered were Impact Valuation, Corporate Governance, Tax Strategy, and Climate Strategy.

3. Sign-up for the DJSI Expert Training on 7 March in Amsterdam

Together with RobecoSAM, Finch & Beak will host a DJSI Expert Training It is designed to deliver in-depth insights and will shed light on what is expected from participating companies in 2019 while experts from leading Dow Jones Sustainability Index members will be sharing best practices and key learnings.

4. Prepare for methodology changes in the 2018 assessment

Eligible companies can find (preliminary) methodology developments in the Reports section of their assessment portal. Changes include:

Deletion of a range of sub-questions across industries

Bigger focus on Privacy Protection and Information Security

Separation of the Impact Valuation chapter, similarly to the 2018 assessment, which will be assessed separately and not be included in the calculation of the total score

March 7th marks the date in which RobecoSAM will broadcast a webinar that further touches upon the 2019 methodology changes

5. Get in touch with Finch & Beak

Finch & Beak helps companies with focusing on issues that are key for your company and society, by choosing the right benchmarks, and through efficient ways of reporting. With over 15 years of experience in Dow Jones Sustainability Index support and a long-term collaboration with RobecoSAM, Finch & Beak is one of Europe’s leading experts in assisting companies with their submission to ESG benchmarks. Our work for (ex-) industry group leaders is characterized by a pragmatic, 12 month-approach that leverages existing assets in the short term, while identifying opportunities for strategic development in the future.

If your organization is looking to improve its sustainability performance, please download our service description or contact us at hello@finchandbeak.com for more information.