PwC appoints China climate policy specialist to UK Sustainability team

February 25th, 2012 by PwC

Allan Zhang, PwC specialist in China climate change policy and sustainable business (click image to expand - image courtesy of PwC)

PwC have appointed Allan Zhang, a specialist in China climate change policy and sustainable business to the firm’s UK Sustainability and Climate Change team.

Allan previously led the PwC sustainability and climate change team based in Beijing, China and joins the UK team on a two year secondment. Continue reading

Jeremy Beckwith, former CIO of Kleinwort Benson, gives overview of debt crisis and global economy

February 19th, 2012 by Jeremy Beckwith

Jeremy Beckwith, chief Investment Officer at Kleinwort Benson until October 2011, was guest speaker at the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce lunch at the OGH Hotel in St Peter Port on 16 January 2012.

The following text is a transcript of Jeremy Beckwith‘s talk.

“My newspaper tells me that today is the most depressing day of the year and I don’t think I am going to tell you very much to alleviate that.

The title of this talk is the global market and the economic outlook.

In 2008 we had a global banking crisis. Continue reading

KPMG’s Global summit urges reduction in short term focus in favour of long term sustainability

February 17th, 2012 by KPMG

According to recommendations released from KPMG’s “Business Perspective on Sustainable Growth: Preparing for Rio+20” global summit, policymakers and the business community should ramp up collaboration and demonstrate renewed leadership in order to achieve sustainable and equitable growth objectives.

Summit attendees agreed to the recommendations as part of the meeting’s goal of providing business input to Rio+20, the upcoming global policy summit in June 2012.

Yvo de Boer, KPMG’s Special Global Advisor on Climate Change and Sustainability (click image to expand - image courtesy of KPMG)

Continue reading

Ecobuild exhibition and seminars at ExCeL London- 20 to 22 March 2012

February 4th, 2012 by Events

(click logo to go to Ecobuild website)

Ecobuild, the world’s largest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment, takes place at London’s ExCeL from Tuesday 20 March to Thursday 22 March 2012.

Over 1,500 suppliers will be exhibiting, from companies such as Saint-Gobain, BASF Construction Chemicals, Kingspan, Vaillant, and Worcester Bosch, to up and comers in Ecobuild’s Green shoots entrepreneurs’ zone.

The exhibition will show the latest in everything from building materials to micro-renewables, from rainwater harvesting systems to interiors. Continue reading

A little solar power helps Nissan Leaf electric cars to market

February 1st, 2012 by Richard Lord

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd Roll-on/roll-off (RORO) Nichioh Maru coastal car carrier began its maiden voyage on 27 January 2012.

Four years in construction, this vessel of almost 170 metres length and 11,400 tons, boasts 281 solar panels on its top deck, which helps power energy efficient LED lights in the ship’s hold and crew quarters. Continue reading

Channel Islands Skills Academy workshop on Corporate Social Responsibility on 24 February 2012

January 27th, 2012 by Events

(click on logo to go to CISA website)

On 24 February 2012, in a day-long workshop, the Channel Islands Skills Academy offers a Chartered Management Institute Award in Corporate Social Responsibility.

The workshop takes place at St James, St Peter Port, Guernsey from 9 am to 5 pm. The cost is £495.

This Chartered Management Institute (CMI) accredited award is designed for all those involved in the development and implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities within their organisation.

Upon completion of the day long workshop delegates will be able to:

• Understand the development and alignment of a Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy
• Understand how to implement a Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy for maximum impact for all stakeholder groups
• Understand the evaluation, impact and reinforcement of the Corporate Social Responsibility strategy

Upon completion of this workshop, delegates will receive a certificated award from CMI and membership to the Institute for one year.

To find out more about this workshop, or to reserve a place please contact the administration team at enquiries @cisa.gg or call 01481 244904

2012 Sustainability Yearbook rates sustainable companies globally

January 27th, 2012 by SAM

(click cover to download yearbook)

SAM, the investment boutique focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing, has launched its 9th annual Sustainability Yearbook 2012 (the Yearbook) at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Produced in collaboration with KPMG, one of the world’s leading providers of audit, tax and advisory services, the Yearbook presents the companies recognized as sustainability leaders from the 58 sectors examined by SAM’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). Continue reading

More women in leadership roles increase financial performance and corporate social sustainability

November 30th, 2011 by Catalyst

Researchers at Catalyst and Harvard Business School (HBS) suggests that what’s good for women is good for business and also for society as a whole.

According to Gender and Corporate Social Responsibility: It’s a Matter of Sustainability, companies with more women at the top may be better practitioners of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Prior Catalyst research has shown that such companies also financially outperform, on average, those with fewer women in senior leadership roles.

From left to right: Carol Steere, Guernsey's Education Minister; Sophie Tranchell, MBE, MD of Divine Chocolate Ltd; Reverend Mike Keirle; Michelle Johansen, Johansen Executive Coaching; and Debbie Smith, KPMG Channel Islands Ltd Executive Director, Audit; participate in a panel discussion "Does the west have something to learn from the developing world about the role women can play in business and politics?" held at Les Cotils Christian Centre on 12 October 2011 in celebration of Guernsey's 5th anniversary as a Fairtrade Island (click image to expand - ©RLLord)

“Companies are realizing that advancing more women to senior leadership roles has many benefits, including increased financial performance and sustainability,” said Anabel Pérez, Senior Vice President, Development, Catalyst. “As this study shows, inclusive leadership has a positive influence on the quantity and quality of an organization’s CSR initiatives. When business leadership includes women, society wins.”

Catalyst and HBS researchers found that companies with more women board directors and corporate officers contributed significantly more charitable funds, on average, than companies with fewer or no women in senior roles:

• In 2007, the average donations of companies with three or more women directors were 28 times higher than those of companies with no women directors.
• Between 1997 and 2007, companies with more women board directors donated significantly more funds than did companies with fewer women—with each additional woman board director representing an increase of 2.3 million dollars.
• Companies with 25% or more women corporate officers in 2007 made annual contributions that were 13 times higher than those made by companies with zero women corporate officers.
• Companies with more women corporate officers donated significantly more funds between 1997 and 2007, and for each percentage point increase in women corporate officers, yearly donations increased by 5.7 million dollars.

These higher contribution levels are demonstrably linked to having more women in senior leadership roles, not merely to the size of a company’s budget:

• Controlling for key factors that might influence donation levels, such as a company’s overall financial performance, size, and industry, the presence of women leaders still had a significant positive impact on a company’s levels of giving.
• Studies have shown that women leaders may bring diverse perspectives on fairness and the distribution of resources to donation decisions, which may in turn broaden a company’s commitment to CSR and increase its levels of charitable giving.

This study also indicates that companies with more women leaders are not only more committed, on average, to corporate social responsibility—they may also be better at it, in the sense that such companies are likely to develop higher-quality CSR initiatives. Leaders who highlight gender issues in CSR strategies often position their organizations for sustained growth—a payoff that extends from the company to communities and to broader society.

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Catalyst, which was founded in 1962, is the leading nonprofit membership organization expanding opportunities for women and business.

UN reports global shift towards a low-carbon resource-efficient and socially inclusive green future

November 20th, 2011 by United Nations Environment Programme

(click on report cover to go to United Nations Environment Programme report download page)

A UN report, Towards a Green Economy: Pathways for Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication, demonstrates that governments and businesses alike are taking steps to accelerate a global shift towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive green future.

From China to Barbados, Brazil to South Africa, countries are developing Green Economy strategies and activities to spur greater economic growth and jobs, environmental protection and equality. Continue reading

Making a business case for Corporate Social Responsibility

November 15th, 2011 by Focus HR Solutions Ltd

(Please click on logo to go to company website)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is about companies conducting their business in an ethical way, taking account of the impact of the business economically, socially, environmentally and in terms of human rights – a move which takes a company’s responsibilities beyond those of the traditional stakeholders such as shareholders and local suppliers.

CSR is not a new idea. In the past decade the concept has developed into a mainstream business activity adopted by household names the world over. Continue reading