Building on our in-house expertise EIRIS regularly publishes investor briefings focused on a diverse range of responsible investment topics.
Emerging themes in responsible investment
Corporate trends and insight
These briefings examine key trends in corporate responsibility and provide insight for investors into the extent to which companies are addressing the various ESG issues they face.
- Corporate insight: Two years on: Review of progress by Vedanta Resources on EIRIS’ ESG recommendations (2012)
Analyses the extent to which Vedanta Resources has made progress on previous recommendations to improve its ESG performance. - Corporate insight: Climate Change Tracker: South Africa (2011)
Entitled ‘To what extent are leading South African companies tackling climate change?’ this report analyses the ‘Top 40′ largest companies (by market capitalisation) listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. - Corporate insight: State of Responsible Business in Asia (2011)
Explores the current state of responsible business practices across the world with a specific focus on how well companies in Asia are managing the various ESG risks they face. - Corporate insight: One year on: Review of progress by Vedanta Resources on EIRIS’ ESG recommendations (2011)
Analyses the extent to which Vedanta Resources has made progress on 2010 recommendations to improve ESG. - Corporate insight: Climate Change Tracker 2011: Cool Brands versus Hot Brands?
Analyses the extent to which the world’s 300 largest FTSE-listed companies, and the top 100 global brands, are demonstrating leadership on climate change. - Corporate insight: Climate Change Tracker 2010: Europe
Focuses on 300 companies listed on the FTSE Eurofirst Index to analyse both the extent of their climate change impacts and also the quality of their responses to climate change. - Corporate insight: Climate Change Tracker 2009: Global
Analyses the 300 largest companies listed on the FTSE All World Index to examine the progress they have made over the last 12 months in responding to the challenges of climate change. - Corporate insight: Climate Change Tracker 2009: North America
Analyses the current state of North American companies’ response to climate change in comparison with global peers listed on the FTSE All World Developed Index and examines the implications for investors. - Corporate insight: Climate Change Tracker 2009: Asia
Analyses the current state of Asian companies’ response to climate change in comparison with global peers listed on the FTSE All World Developed Index and examines the implications for investors. - Corporate insight: A Review of ESG Practices in Large Emerging Market Companies (2009)
This paper analyses the state of corporate responsibility in emerging markets as companies strive to compete with their peers in the global market. - Corporate insight: At risk? – How companies manage ESG issues at board level (2009)
Provides an overview of how companies in the FTSE All World Developed Index are managing ESG issues at board level and analyses how performance has evolved between 2005 and 2008. - Corporate insight: Climate Change Tracker 2008: Global
Analyses the 300 largest companies listed on the FTSE All World Index to examine the progress they have made over the last 12 months in responding to the challenges of climate change. - Corporate insight: FTSE100 snapshot – Trends in ESG performance (2008)
Analysis of the FTSE100 charting progress on key environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues over the last five years. - Corporate insight: The state of responsible business – Global corporate response to environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges (2007)
A study examining the extent to which companies around the world are addressing their environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts. - Corporate insight: SEE Risk Management – an analysis of its adoption by companies (2005)
Global analysis of companies’ systems to manage social, environmental or other ethical risks. - Corporate insight: Do good environmental management systems lead to good environmental performance? (2005)
Research report of the findings of a study into the link between corporate environmental management systems and actual environmental performance. - Corporate insight: Corporate codes of business ethics: an international survey of bribery and ethical standards in companies (2005)
A survey of the global corporate response to issues of bribery and ethical standards. - Corporate insight: How global is good corporate governance? (2005)
Report that compares corporate governance standards globally.
EIRIS ESG risk briefings
EIRIS ESG risk briefings are published to help investors to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the risks and opportunities posed by key responsible involvement issues.
- ESG risk briefing: Water 2011
Explores corporate responses to water scarcity around the world. The report highlights the short time frame within which water scarcity will begin to have detrimental financial impacts for companies and their investors. - ESG risk briefing: Biodiversity (2010)
Helps investors understand the systematic risks that biodiversity loss represents to investments. The report focuses on around 1,800 FTSE-listed companies and finds that 58% of them operate in sectors whose business activities have a considerable biodiversity impact. - ESG risk briefing: Bribery (2010)
This report summarises recent findings of EIRIS research in relation to its criteria on countering bribery. It also provides recommendations to investors for future engagement with companies to improve their management response to bribery. - ESG risk briefing: Remuneration (2010)
EIRIS partnered with Eurosif for this report which focuses on the challenges and opportunities for companies in relation to remuneration, incentives and long-term sustainability, and proposes recommendations for companies, policy-makers and responsible investors on this issue. - ESG risk briefing: A Risky Business? Managing core labour standards in company supply chains (2009)
Focuses on breaches of core labour standards in company supply chains and analyses the sectors where the risk of breach is highest. Relevant investment risks and engagement examples are also included. - ESG risk briefing: Indigenous rights: risks and opportunities for investors (2009)
Analyses the response of companies in the FTSE All World Developed Index to indigenous rights. This latest research highlights the challenges facing companies and examines the implications for investors. - ESG risk briefing: Positive corporate responses to HIV/AIDS: a snapshot of large cap South African companies (2008)
Analyses the corporate response to HIV/AIDS of the top 40 large cap South African companies listed on the FTSE/JSE Top 40 Index. - ESG risk briefing: Project finance – a sustainable future? (2006)
An analysis of the approach of nine major international financial institutions’ approach to mitigating the risks associated with project finance. - ESG risk briefing: Beyond REACH – chemical safety and sustainability concerns (2006)
A study probing corporate chemical safety and sustainability approaches. - ESG risk briefing: Obesity concerns in the food and drinks industry (2006)
Analysis of major international food and drinks firms handling of the risks posed by obesity. - ESG risk briefing: Access to medicines for the developing world and the pharmaceutical industry (2005)
An exploration of the risks to the pharmaceutical industry from concerns over access to medicine. - ESG risk briefing: Mobile phone health concerns and the telecom industry (2005)
An exploration of the risks to the telecoms industry from mobile phone-related health concerns.
Emerging themes in responsible investment
These briefings explore emerging themes, challenges and opportunities in responsible investment.
- RI spotlight: Evolving markets: what’s driving ESG in emerging economies? (2012)
The report combines investors’ sentiment on emerging markets with EIRIS’ assessment of how the world’s most commonly-invested emerging market companies are responding to ESG
issues. - RI spotlight: On track for Rio+20? How are global companies responding to sustainability? (2012)
This research paper provides a global snapshot of corporate sustainability performance on the 2063 companies from the FTSE All World Developed (AWD) Index. - RI spotlight: Sustainable Stock Exchanges: improving ESG standards among listed companies (2010)
Focuses on the increasing role that stock exchanges play in enhancing corporate transparency and performance on sustainability issues. - RI spotlight: Taking stock: how leading stock exchanges are addressing ESG and enhancing ESG disclosure (2009)
Explores the evolving role of stock exchanges, explores the business drivers for promoting greater ESG disclosure in the market, and provides insight into both their current and future role in responsible investment. - RI spotlight: An analysis of responsible investment in emerging markets (2009)
Explores where and how investors, including asset managers and asset owners, invest in emerging markets. - RI spotlight: The state of responsible business: Implications for PRI signatories (2008)
Explores how FTSE All World Index companies are addressing ESG risks and highlights the challenges and opportunities this poses to UN PRI signatories and other investors wishing to mitigate ESG risks. - RI spotlight: Valuing ESG issues – a survey of investors (2007)
A study of 40 mainstream and socially responsible intuitional investors views on the extent to which environmental, social and governance issues impact upon financial performance. - RI spotlight: Broadening horizons for responsible investment – an analysis of 50 emerging market companies (2006)
A study of corporate disclosure on environmental, social and governance issues in emerging markets. - RI spotlight: Islamic Finance – Issues and Opportunities (2004)
Explores key concepts in Islamic economics and finance, including market scope and outlook, major Islamic investment institutions and products and also the relationship between ethical investment and Islamic principles.
Joint publications
EIRIS works with a wide variety of external stakeholders to produce joint publications covering a broad range of responsible investment issues.
- Emerging markets: Unlocking Investment Potential: ESG Disclosure in Korean Companies (2010)
This report is a baseline study on the current status of CSR and SRI as well as ESG reporting trends. It aims to further emerging market investors’ understanding of the Korean SRI/ CSR landscape and the status of, and trends in, Korean companies’ ESG reporting.
