SustainabilityHQ.com Weekly Highlights February 16, 2012

Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Reporting 

G&A Institute is the Global Reporting Initiative's (GRI) sole data partner for the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. As the data partner we monitor, analyze and database information on all Sustainability reports issued in these territories. Recent Sustainability and CR Reports issued in the USA, UK and Ireland are:

USA

• Lilly Releases Its Most Comprehensive Corporate Responsibility Report (February 15, 2012 Source: Eli Lilly and Company)

• Coca-Cola gives itself a B+ in sustainability (February 15, 2012 Source: Greener Package)

• Progress on Sustainability at IKEA - 2011 Report (February 15, 2012 Source: Business Wire)

• Viridian Energy, Leader in Green Retail Energy Market, Releases Second Annual Sustainability Report (February 12, 2012   Source: Source: Enhanced Online News)

ESG / Sustainability

A Top German Environmentalist Cools On Global Warming
(Wednesday - February 15, 2012) Associated Profiles : Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)  Source: Forbes - A new book raises a man-made blizzard of icily numbing challenges to IPCC competence in general, and to their exaggerated attributions of CO2 greenhouse warming influence in particular.

Apple is hardly a villain - it wants to raise the bar on workers' rights | Rosey Hurst
(Wednesday - February 15, 2012) Associated Profiles : Verité  Source: Guardian Unlimited - There is systemic abuse of labour rights in global supply chains. At least Apple is facing up to the problem Apple today announced that the Fair Labor Association has begun to conduct special audits of its final assembly ...

How Investors are Applying the Results of the Climate Change Scenarios Study
(Tuesday - February 14, 2012) Associated Profiles : California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS)  Source: Mercer - With the trillions of dollars of identified investment risks and opportunities still hanging in the balance, more than half of the participants in the 2011 "Climate Change Scenarios – Implications for Strategic Asset Allocation"...

U.S. approves 1st nuclear reactors since 1978
(Friday - February 10, 2012)  Source: USA Today - WASHINGTON – The United States' first new nuclear power plant in a generation won approval Thursday as federal regulators voted to grant a license for two new reactors in Georgia. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 4-1 to...

The Himalayas and nearby peaks have lost no ice in past 10 years, study shows
(Thursday - February 09, 2012) Associated Profiles : Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)  Source: Guardian.co.uk- Meltwater from Asia's peaks is much less then previously estimated, but lead scientist says the loss of ice caps and glaciers around the world remains a serious concern.

Sovereign Wealth Funds

Doing business in China part 2 - establishing a business in China
(Wednesday - February 15, 2012) Associated Profiles : State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) Investment Company (China)  Source: Out-Law - China has become a global economic powerhouse over the past 30 years. Such immense change does not happen by chance – policy and new laws have paved the way. As a result, China's legal framework is a work in progress. There are...

Yuan expected to appreciate slowly vs. US dollar
(Sunday - February 12, 2012) Associated Profiles : State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) Investment Company (China)  Source: The Manila Times - BEIJING (Xinhua): China's currency, the yuan, rose to a record high against the US dollar on Friday, sparking concerns about this year's outlook for the currency's appreciation.

Sovereign Funds Turn Away From Hedge Funds
(Friday - February 10, 2012)  Source: Fin Alternatives - More and more hedge funds are looking to sovereign wealth funds to bolster their assets. But they may be looking in the wrong place. While sovereign funds continued to increase their assets last year, they didn't put that new...

Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund ranked world's largest
(Thursday - February 09, 2012) Associated Profiles : Abu Dhabi Investment Authority  Source: Menafn - A report, issued by US-based Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, ranked Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) the world's largest sovereign wealth fund with an estimated USD627 billion of ... 

Asset Managers

Is protecting the environment incompatible with social justice' | George Monbiot
(Tuesday - February 14, 2012) Associated Profiles : State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) Source: Guardian Unlimited - When Oxfam investigates the question of whether environment conflicts with development, we should take notice It is the stick with which the greens are beaten daily: if we spend money on protecting the environment, the poor will ...

They're back: Social issues overtake US politics
(Friday - February 10, 2012) Associated Profiles : State Street Global Advisors (SSgA)  Source: AP - All of a sudden, abortion, contraception and gay marriage are at the center of American political discourse, with the struggling - though improving - economy pushed to the background.

South Africa: Mines Threaten the Environment
(Friday - February 10, 2012) Associated Profiles : State Street Global Advisors (SSgA)  Source: All Africa.com - Cape Town - While mining is the cornerstone of many African economies, the industry has a dark side. Across the continent, millions are struggling with the environmental, health and social implications of ...

This is just a sample of some of the articles from this weeks SustainabilityHQ Highlights.  You can view the full Highlights by using the following links.  Sustainability | ESG, Highlights for the Week of  February 16, 2012