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The UN Sustainable Development Goals –
Nearing the end of the 20th Century, the United Nations assembled experts to develop the eight Millennium Goals (MDGs), to serve as blueprints and guides for public, private and social sector actions during the period 2000-2015 (the “new millennium”). For “post-2015”, the more ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were launched with 17 goals and 169 targets – these are calls to action for rich and poor and middle-income nations out to the year 2030. These ambitious efforts are focused on such societal issues as improving education, health, social protection, providing job opportunities, and encouraging greater environmental protection (global climate change clearly in focus!). The 17 SDGs are numbered for themes – “No Poverty” is Goal #1; “Clean Water and Sanitation” is Goal #6; Gender Equality is Goal #5. As the goals were announced after an exhaustive development process (in 2015), sovereign nations, regions, communities, corporations, academic institutions, and other societal stakeholders began “adopting” and embracing the goals. SDG strategies were quickly amended to align the goals with critical corporate strategies; actions and programs were formulated; partnerships were sought (corporate with government and/or social sector partners and so on). And the disclosures about all of this began to appear in corporate and institutional GRI sustainability reports. In the year following official launch, a wave of corporations began public discussion of the SDGs and their adoption of specific goals – those that were material in some way to the company’s strategies, operations, culture, stakeholders, geography…and other factors and characteristics. As the SDGs were “adopted” and embraced, companies began quickly to examine the materiality of the SDGs relative to their businesses and the first disclosures were appearing in corporate sustainability reports.
The sectors include Electricity, Beverages, Banks, Life Insurance, Media, and many more classifications (the list is available on the G&A web platform with selections to examine highlights of the research for each sector). The results: we now have available for you 40 separate sector reports containing rankings of the SDG Targets’ and the GRI G4 Indicators & GRI Standards Disclosures for each sector which can be downloaded here: https://ga-institute.com/ The research results are a starting point for discussion and planning, a foundation for determining sector-specific materiality of the SDGs and the GRI KPIs and disclosures as seen through the lens of these 1,387 corporate reporters across 40 sectors. This is all part of the G&A Institute’s “Big Data” approach to understanding and capturing the value-added corporate data sets for disclosure and reporting. The complete database of results is maintained by G&A Institute and is used for assisting corporate clients and other stakeholders in understanding relevant materiality trends. Thanks to our outstanding research team who conducted the intensive research: Team Research Leaders Elizabeth Peterson, Juliet Russell, Alan Stautz and Alvis Yuen. Researchers Amanda Hoster, Laura Malo, Matthew Novak, Yangshengjing “UB” Qiu, Sara Rosner, Shraddha Sawant, and Qier “Cher” Xue. The project was architected and conducted under the direction of Louis Coppola, Co-Founder of G&A Institute. There’s more information for you at: https://ga-institute.com/ More information on the SDGs is at: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ This Week’s Top Stories NEW RESEARCH: SDG TARGETS & GRI INDICATORS MATERIALITY IN ESG / SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING RELEASED BY G&A INSTITUTE
Sustainability: Continuing Forward Momentum! Sustainability Efforts”>How Companies Can Increase Market Rewards for Sustainability Efforts It’s Official: Customers Prefer Sustainable Companies How Companies Can Increase Market Rewards For Sustainability Efforts Schmick: Sustainability investing and the millennials 3 Big Sustainability Issues Facing Every Business, and How to Respond Atlanta: A Dark Horse in Sustainability Innovation 7 cool sustainability innovations from Asia in 2018 Our Focus This Week on A Range of ESG Topics & Issues � More For You to Think About � What Will Be the Future Impact of These Developments? Yale reports on sustainability goals U.S. coal consumption drops to lowest level in nearly 40 years A Trade Detente Would Fuel The U.S. Energy Sector And China’s Environment United States: ISS And Glass Lewis Update Their Proxy Voting Guidelines For The 2019 Proxy Season As U.S. Heads Towards Water Shortages, It Should Turn to Israel For Solutions Climate Clock: How Long Until Earth Warms to 1.5 Degrees Celsius’ FTSE Russell & Sustainalytics announce global ESG partnership Headlines From the Corporate Sector – Both Positive & Negative Sustainability in the supply chain is key for cost saving and efficiency, HSBC report finds A sustainability journey with T-Mobile All New 3M Products to Include Sustainability Value Agriculture tells its story through conservation and sustainability And the Headlines of interest… including Auto & Energy & Media Industries Ford’s restructuring could slash more jobs than GM’s, Morgan Stanley says Volkswagen CEO: Trump ‘has a point,’ so we may make cars at Ford plants Governance: Shell is first energy company to link executive pay and carbon emissions Disney Revises CEO Bob Iger’s Pay Package To Add “More Rigorous” Performance Requirements Initiatives Tracking Beef’s Sustainability New Yorkers overwhelmingly support Amazon campus in Queens: poll Wells Fargo Reform Plans Fail to Satisfy Fed After Scandals: Sources Here are the 100 best places to work in 2019, according to Glassdoor China separates arrest of Huawei executive Sabrina Meng Wanzhou from US trade talks
News & Opinion: Asset Managers, Sovereign Wealth Funds, Pension Funds 1MDB Scandal Tests Justice Department on FCPA and Corporate Prosecutions ‘Fat-Finger’ Error Costs Norwegian Bank Storebrand Nearly $12 Billion in Value CalPERS Makes ESG Changes Commentary of Interest David Attenborough’s Dire Climate Warning: ‘Our Greatest Threat In Thousands Of Years’ Cyber resilience is a choice – one that should be made now The Guardian view on climate change: too much, too soon |
G&A Institute Sustainability Update™
The G&A team develops timely insights and perspectives on Corporate Sustainability, Responsibility and Citizenship and we share with you on G&A’s To The Point! platform – access is complementary with your registration. Recent briefs include: ________________________________________ Governance & Accountability _________________________________________ Louis Coppola from G&A Institute Goes In Depth on How to Improve ESG Performance
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_________________________________________Governance & Accountability Institute Research FLASH REPORT: 85% of S&P 500 Index® Companies Publish Sustainability Reports in 2017
________________________________________ GRI’S USA, UK & IRELAND
G&A Institute is the Data Partner for the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) in the USA, UK and Republic of Ireland. We identify, receive, collect, analyze, database, and communicate about every report issued in any of the 3 countries. Over the past 6+ years, G&A analyzed 6,000-plus sustainability reports in this pro bono role and databased 100+ important data points for each report. Find out more @ G&A’s What’s A Data Partner
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Navigating the way to sustainability… Copyrights for other providers are noted where appropriate. |
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The Sustainability Highlights eNewsletter is prepared by Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. based on continuous monitoring of trends and developments in Sustainability and ESG. Governance & Accountability Instiute is the “Sustainability Headquarters™” for clients in the corporate, investment, public and social sectors. Based in New York, G&A is a for-profit consulting organization providing a range of value-added strategies, services and resources related to ESG & sustainability to clients in the corporate and capital markets communities. For G&A’s full range of services, click on each of the links below: For more information, contact Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. |
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The UN Sustainable Development Goals – “What Matters” For 40 Sectors? G&A Institute’s Research Project Yields Key Data
December 13, 2018
GRI Standards Reporting
