The story is being well told -– a growing number institutional shareowners and their global networks of asset managers steadily embrace ESG / sustainable investing approaches. Corporations of all sizes are adopting sustainability strategies and churning out sustainability and responsibility reports to tell the story of their sustainability journey. Many national, state and local governments are following through on their commitments made in Paris in 2015 (the Paris Accord on climate change). NGOs galore are focused on driving sustainability into all corners of human behavior.
As the data collection for many report preparers gains momentum, we are happy to announce new and updated GRI Standards and services to support reporters' work. There are also new mapping documents that help harmonize and reduce the burden of reporting to different frameworks. GRI is also presenting updates to its Digital Reporting Tool, which helps in data collection.
In January 2018, the Hall Family, Hallmark Cards, Inc. and Crown Center, were awarded the J. Philip Kirk, Jr. Award from the Downtown Council of Kansas City, Mo., for downtown vision and stewardship. This award is presented annually to leaders whose vision, guidance and commitment have helped set downtown on a clear path for revitalization.
Technology has the power to unlock amazing new possibilities for our customers and the world. Through pro bono service learning, we translate the incredible potential of digital transformation from the corporate sector to our communities. Recently, I was fortunate to see this potential unfold—and watch a community transform.