Social

Fuji Xerox Australia reports waste reduction, increase in injury rates

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 7 SEP 2011  |  NEWS
Fuji Xerox Australia reported a 41% reduction in waste to landfill and announced that it would move its Eco Manufacturing Centre to a five-star Green star rated facility in Sydney in its sustainability report for the 2010/2011financial year. However ...

PRI signatories develop farmland principles

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 7 SEP 2011  |  NEWS
A group of institutional investors have developed and launched the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in Farmland, which seek to improve the sustainability, transparency and accountability of investments in farmland. The five principles provide ...

Australian property funds top GRESB list

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 2 SEP 2011  |  NEWS
A Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) survey of environmental and social performance at 340 of the world's largest property companies has found that the companies on average have reduced their energy consumption in 2010 by almost 3% and ...

Skilled labour shortage potentially increases corporate risk

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 31 AUG 2011  |  NEWS
A shortage in skilled labour in a number of Australian industry sectors means that companies' human capital management (HCM) programmes are an important component in risk management, according to a report by Regnan Governance Research.

Disclosing sustainability risks, engaging stakeholders vital to corporate interests

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 26 AUG 2011  |  NEWS
Although the growing acceptance of reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is spurring strategic thinking about disclosing and managing sustainability risks, companies and other organizations need to do more, including setting ...

FSC, ACSI release ESG reporting guide for ASX companies

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 5 AUG 2011  |  NEWS
The Financial Services Council (FSC) and the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) have launched their ESG Reporting Guide for Australian Companies, a framework for assisting companies in identifying and reporting their ESG risks.

Social risk: the impact on the Australian cattle industry

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 22 JUL 2011  |  NEWS
The Australian cattle industry has been whiplashed by the effects of a five-week-long suspension of live export of cattle to Indonesia. The suspension was prompted by the public outcry after broadcaster ABC showed instances of animal cruelty at Indonesian ...

ACSI releases study on ASX200 ESG reporting

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 15 JUL 2011  |  NEWS
When it comes to ASX200 companies and their ESG reporting, companies seem to be falling into the mould of the little girl with a little curl in the middle of her forehead in the much-recited children's poem -where the leading companies are good and getting ...

Companies investing in sustainable operations showing returns

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 25 MAY 2011  |  NEWS
A study of five Australian organisations, including Blackmores and Woolworths, has shown that companies that invest in sustainable business operations and incorporate ESG factors into their financial reporting are seeing returns on investment much sooner ...

ANZ publishes interim corporate responsibility report

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 20 MAY 2011  |  NEWS
ANZ has released an interim corporate responsibility report for the financial year, highlighting progress in training staff for screening clients based on sensitive sector policies and reviewing investment portfolios against UNPRI guidelines, but also ...