SustainabilityHQ.com Weekly Highlights May 3,2013

Sustainability Reporting and the S&P 500 ®
A new study out from the researchers at Sustainable Investments Institute (SI2) and the Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC) looks closely at the large-cap companies in the Standard & Poor’s S&P 500 Index and  disclosure and reporting practices related to sustainability and ESG performance factors.  All but one company, the analysts say do some kind of reporting – but the range of reporting is quite wide.  “Sustainability Reporting is widespread,” say the researchers, but connection to bottom line is sometimes missing.”  Of the 499 companies, 7 integrate financial and sustainability information in their reporting. 

These are: American Electric Power, Clorox, Dow Chemical, Eaton, Ingersoll Rand, Pfizer, and Southwest Airlines.  43% link executive comp to some type of sustainability criteria.  You can read more at the link on the top story (below).

Top Stories of the Week

First Comprehensive Study On State Of Integrated Reporting In United States
(Tuesday - April 30, 2013) 
Source: Sustainable Investments Institute (Si2)- Every company in the S&P 500 except one reports some form of sustainability disclosure, but fewer quantify those disclosures in terms of bottom line impacts, according to a new report from the IRRC Institute (IRRCI) and the... 

Review Essay: Citizens DisUnited
(Thursday - May 02, 2013) 
Source: James McRitchie, CorpGov.net - Citizens DisUnited: Passive Investors, Drone CEOs, and the Corporate Capture of the American Dream both delights and informs as only Robert A.G. Monks can. No one else writes so well about topics like “How CEOs and the Business... 

Face-to-Face Management 
(Wednesday - May 01, 2013) Source: Robert R. McMillan, featured commentator - Can you imagine that the CEO of a company actually wants employees to come into the office once in a while, rather than just working from home? Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, made that declaration a few weeks ago, and that has brought... 

Sustainability in Focus

EU considers trade action after Bangladesh factory collapse
(Thursday - May 02, 2013) Associated Profiles : United Nations International Labour Organization 
Source: Winnipeg Sun - The European Union is considering trade action against Bangladesh, which has preferential access to EU markets for its garments, to pressure Dhaka to improve safety standards after a building collapse... 

CEO Salaries Climb as Companies Fight Pay Scale Disclosure Law
(Thursday - May 02, 2013) Associated Profiles : Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission 
Source: NewsMax - Top corporate executives are getting richer than ever as regular workers suffer pay scale setbacks, according to a report by Bloomberg. Fortune 500 chief executive officers now make 204 times what regular workers bring... 

Shareholders Challenge Avon to Detox
(Wednesday - May 01, 2013) 
Source: Green Century Funds - During its annual meeting of shareholders, Avon Corporation* will face a resolution filed by the Green Century Equity Fund urging the company to phase out hazardous chemicals present in its cosmetics and personal care... 

Sustainability Boosts Innovation in Technology, Organization
(Monday - April 29, 2013) 
Source: Today's Energy Solutions - Everyone seems to be talking about sustainability and energy-efficiency. But in this context, production must not be regarded in isolation. Sustainability, in the sense of “using a regenerable system so that it is preserved in...

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 May,5 2013