CGIUKI thought leadership: Governing sustainability: Are sustainability committees the answer?

There is a growing trend towards increasing numbers of sustainability and ESG committees at board level. If your company is considering establishing one, there are a few factors to consider.

New FCA guidance can assist asset managers in striking the balance when making sustainability-related claims about their products and services.

Black Rock CEO Larry Fink’s annual letter to CEOs is always closely scrutinised. As the head of the world’s largest institutional investor, he identifies the issues companies must prioritise to generate long-term value. Three key lessons emerge from Fink’s focus on ESG.

Diligent Institute set out to understand why environmental sustainability issues are elevated to the board level.

Businesses are under more pressure than ever to show integrity in how they operate and keep purpose and sustainability front of mind.

Boards that act now in framing their ESG issues will be ahead of the curve in terms of the effective delivery of new products and services in established and new formats and ongoing sustainability.

In 1970, Senator Gaylord Nelson in the USA created Earth Day to force sustainability issues onto the national agenda. Europe followed this movement with environmental laws, and The Earth Day Network went global in 1990. This network now has over 50,000 partners in 193 countries.

With increasing importance placed on boards embedding ESG considerations in their decision-making and operations, stakeholder capitalism has become something of a buzzword du jour. It is intrinsically linked to sustainability as it is grounded in the view that giving consideration to wider interests, perspectives and impacts leads to long-term value creation.