ESG
Effective Partnering: Learning from the Past
As circularity is becoming a topic of interest with larger corporations around the globe, a question that emerges is how they can develop the necessary innovations to fuel the circular economy. With 68 percent of the top 100 companies from the Forbes Global 500 already engaging with start-ups in one form or another, fast-forwarding the development of dearly awaited innovations is definitely not a new challenge. INSEAD and 500 Startups conducted a research study based on the world's 500 biggest public companies that highlights what we can learn from past corporate experiences.
Sustainability Program Can Increase Target Price by 15%
The valuation impact of sustainability can be very high. ESG based value driver analysis led to a target price impact of -19% at Anglo American and +23% at Chr. Hansen. However, when talking to Investor Relations executives and Board members of listed companies, a frequently heard statement is “Why bother, our investors are not interested in sustainability”. This claim is sourced from the observation that there are few questions in shareholders meetings and earnings calls that address the topic. But how is that possible with the level of assets under management of ESG integrated funds rising beyond €6 trillion in Europe alone?
Methodology Changes for the Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2016
On April 5th, RobecoSAM opened its annual Corporate Sustainability Assessment: the base for selecting the best-performing companies for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. More than 3,000 eligible companies have received an invitation to participate in this year’s DJSI assessment. In order to prevent surprises, participating companies are well advised to take changes into account for this year’s methodology before diving into the questionnaire.
VUCA-Proof Big Data for Long-Term Sustainable Growth
Larry Fink’s latest annual Corporate Governance letter to CEOs recently made its way into headlines as the BlackRock chairman expressed a noteworthy appeal for companies to stop giving quarterly earnings-per-share guidance. In a wider perspective, Fink urges companies to resist the “powerful forces” of short-termism, and invest in long-term growth instead.
RobecoSAM Yearbook 2016: Emerging Risks and Opportunities
Increasingly, companies consider sustainability not only as a means of mitigating or avoiding risks, but also for seizing new opportunities that can give them a competitive edge. In line with these developments, changing investor demands and business environments have been driving change in the DJSI-assessment.
Biobased Coffee Capsules Are the Answer to Nespresso's "What Else?"
Global coffee consumption is still moving more and more towards specialty coffees and single-serve pod machines. The Nespresso coffee capsule system has become the worldwide standard for single served capsule systems. Every year around 15 billion of capsules are sold. Although the single served capsules are really convenient, it has one drawback: the aluminum and plastic they are made of, create a lot of waste.
In What Rankings Should We Participate?
The number of users of environmental, social, and governance data is increasing. Research of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board has shown that the majority of a company’s value is now driven by intangible assets.
Is Volkswagen the Lance Armstrong of the Car Industry?
The revelations of Volkswagen manipulating emissions tests show how fibbing with one’s impact on society can lead to big legal and reputational consequences. Apparently, the German automaker deemed the upside of selling large numbers of cars more attractive than the risk of getting caught with fraudulent software. The story brings back memories of Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France victories – titles that were pulled back after he was caught using doping. What lessons can be learned from the Volkswagen debacle?
4th Pan-European IR Conference Euronext Amsterdam
After three successful editions in the previous years, the Investor Relations associations of Belgium (BIRA), France (CLIFF), the Netherlands (NEVIR) and Portugal (FIR) will organize for the fourth time the Pan-European IR Conference in Amsterdam from 28-30 September 2015.
