NewsRoom Articles - Page 3 of 28

FridayMar 01, 2024 2:00 pm

Why ESG Should Be Treated More Seriously

After decades of frenzied debate about whether corporations should serve society or their shareholders, a historic United Nations (“UN”) paper published in the early 2000s first used the term ESG to refer to Environmental, Social and Governance considerations. Titled “Who Cares Wins,” the report outlined the need for sustainable developments by corporations and highlighted the critical role ESG considerations would play in ensuring the future of humanity and civilized society. Unsurprisingly, the environmental pillar is simultaneously the most critical and challenging consideration to address. Over a century of burning fossil fuels has resulted in significant damage to the atmosphere, throwing…

ThursdayFeb 29, 2024 9:45 am

Aston Bay Holdings Ltd. (TSX.V: BAY) (OTCQB: ATBHF) Is ‘One to Watch’

A maiden mineral resource estimate for the Storm Copper Deposit is anticipated to be released in Q1 2024; an expanded drilling program is planned for 2024 to significantly increase the resource, and work is already underway to advance the low capex open pit mining opportunity toward development. In October 2023, the company closed a brokered private placement and a concurrent non-brokered private placement for proceeds of C$2.5 million. In March 2021, the company entered an option agreement that allows American West Metals Limited to earn an 80% interest in Aston Bay’s Storm Copper Project and Seal Zinc Deposit; America West…

WednesdayFeb 28, 2024 2:00 pm

Funds Promoting Responsible Investing Tripled in Size from 2012 – 2022

A recent analysis by the CFA Institute has revealed that funds promoting responsible spending nearly tripled in size from 2012 to 2022. The analysis found that responsible investment funds increased from $2.2 trillion in 2012 to almost $6 trillion in 2022, suggesting a growth rate in line with the wider investment fund market. Titled “Responsible Investment Funds Build Consistent Market Presence,” the report shows that responsible investment funds maintained a relatively consistent market share over the study period, experiencing a slight increase from 14.2% in 2012 to 15.4% a decade later. As such, the report posits that responsible investment funds…

MondayFeb 26, 2024 1:30 pm

Musk Claims ESG Being Forced’ on Investors, Warns of Lawsuits

Elon Musk says large-money funds such as Fidelity and BlackRock are forcing environmental, social and corporate governance (“ESG”) considerations on investors against their best interests. Corporations have spent the past several years increasingly incorporating ESG considerations into their business plans partly due to money funds such as Vanguard and BlackRock that typically use ESG-based investment strategies. BlackRock is famous for emphasizing the importance of climate-change impact in its investment decision, and it even offers several ESG-focused funds. Fidelity also incorporates ESG considerations into its investment decisions alongside a suite of ESG products, while Vanguard has corporate goals aimed at cutting…

FridayFeb 23, 2024 1:30 pm

KPMG Survey Uncovers Contradictions Between Companies’ ESG Plans, Actions

A recent survey by professional services company KPMG U.S. has revealed that corporate plans to step up ESG reporting will likely “clash with spreadsheet realities.” With environmental, social, and governance, or ESG considerations becoming a bigger priority for many corporations, the report sheds light on the challenges companies will face as they strive to elevate their ESG data and reporting capabilities. The KMPG US survey involved 550 executives, board members and managers from several private and public companies. According to the report, 43% of the respondents said they would boost investment in ESG personnel over the next three years while…

WednesdayFeb 21, 2024 2:38 pm

Microsoft Adds AI to Cloud to Ease ESG Data Capture, Reporting

Microsoft has integrated new artificial intelligence (“AI”) and data-capturing capabilities into its cloud. The company has introduced a version of the Copilot AI tool as well as sustainability-focused data services to Microsoft Fabric. This is Microsoft’s software-as-a-service (“SAAS”) analytics platform that covers real-time analytics, business intelligence, data movement and data science, among others. The Washington-based tech giant also equipped its Microsoft Sustainability Manager platform with an AI model to help improve insights. Integrating sustainability features and AI capabilities into the Microsoft Fabric platform will help customers capture data on environmental, social, and corporate governance (“ESG”) as well as measure, reduce…

FridayFeb 16, 2024 1:30 pm

China Stock Exchanges Announce Mandatory Sustainability Reporting Requirements for Companies

Major stock markets in China, such as the Beijing Stock Exchange, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange, recently announced that they had published new reporting guidelines on sustainability for listed companies. With this announcement, the east Asian country joins other major markets that are introducing new sustainability reporting guidelines, including the U.S. Security Exchange Commission’s (SEC) climate-disclosure rules and the recently published Corporate Sustainable Reporting Directive by the European Union. The EU’s Corporate Sustainable Reporting Directive will significantly increase the number of companies required to present sustainability disclosures to more than 50,000. The directive also introduces comprehensive…

WednesdayFeb 14, 2024 1:30 pm

Barclays Stops Funding New Projects in Oil, Gas Industries

Barclays Bank has announced that it will stop directly funding new gas and oil projects. A new Climate Change Statement from the bank revealed that Barclays will require its clients in the energy sector to produce decarbonization or energy-transition strategies by the start of 2024. The United Kingdom-based bank also released a new Transition Finance Framework that outlined its conditions for classifying funding for decarbonizing high-emission industries as “transition.” The new framework is part of Barclays’ efforts to reach its goal of facilitating $1 trillion in sustainable and transition finance by the decade’s end. A statement from the bank acknowledged…

MondayFeb 12, 2024 2:30 pm

Two Factors Crucial to ESG Delivering Shareholder Value

With major companies such as McDonald’s Corporation and Walmart Stores naming sustainability as one of their top priorities in recent years, many companies are facing pressure to ensure they incorporate sustainability into their goods and service delivery. However, one of the main criticisms against corporate sustainability in the past few years has been that it contradicts the fiduciary duty of managers by not putting company shareholders first. Corporate sustainability refers to a business approach that involves pursuing social and economic strategies to create sustainable value for shareholders, company employees, consumers and societal value. A 2016 paper titled “Corporate Sustainability: First…

FridayFeb 09, 2024 1:30 pm

Companies Look for Alternatives Referring to ESG

After years of encouraging investors to invest in companies with responsible environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) practices, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink announced in mid-2023 that he wouldn’t use the term ESG anymore. Fink noted that the word has been misused and weaponized by the far left and far right and said he was ashamed to be part of the debate around using the term “ESG.” Fink’s investment approach can significantly affect the market as he currently stands at the helm of the world's largest asset manager with $9.2 trillion under management. BlackRock’s attitude toward responsible ESG investing has been quite…

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