… A global leader in the insurance and asset management business, AXA had risen to the top ranks in terms of corporate responsibility (CR) as well. In 2014, the French-based insurer led the industry on a number of corporate social responsibility and sustainability indexes. Not content to rest on these laurels, AXA … new metrics was a tall order, but would be another step to establishing CR inside AXA. Eventually, the company aspired to produce an “integrated report” that would define the …
… in Indonesia. Founded in 1996 by the influential Widjaja family (operators of the Sinar Mas business group), GAR became the holding company for the family’s agribusinesses, including … entire palm oil value chain, from growing seedlings and managing over 450,000 hectares of plantation lands to running extraction and refining mills and marketing its own brand of … targeted a GAR customer, Nestlé, with a report and a provocative video that went viral on social media sites. Nestlé quickly bowed to the demands of Greenpeace and dropped GAR as a …
… Like many countries, Australia has a large existing building stock that is responsible for a substantial percentage of its greenhouse-gas … Financial institutions are reluctant to lend when any claim that they might make in the event of a default is junior to the property mortgage holder. This is why the Environmental … cost for energy-efficiency upgrades and the subsequent cost savings. Source Yale Center for Business and the Environment Areas of Focus Sustainable Finance and ESG Clean Energy …
… palm oil (CPO) became the most highly traded edible oil. The palm oil boom had significant impact on economic development in rural Indonesia. Forty percent of Indonesia’s palm oil … to mill, refine, and export the substance. However, oil palm cultivation had created social tensions as many rural inhabitants claimed that large plantation companies had … many environmentalists believed that the agreement represented a breakthrough. The events of 2015 suggested otherwise, forcing businesses, NGOs and sympathetic government …
… climate change resilience in South Africa. The company claimed over 22% of all insurance business in South Africa and provided over half of the country's crop insurance. Crop … expertise and decades of weather-related data to estimate the frequency of major weather events. It was widely acknowledged that climate change was likely to increase the frequency … the effect of climate change on crops. The company was proud of being in the forefront of social responsibility and sustainability issues. Company officials participated in …
… finance into the state market. This case study describes how this bank set up the Efficient Buildings Fund (EBF) and is iteratively improving it. This bank, which combines the features … program designed to accelerate energy-efficiency and clean-energy upgrades to municipal buildings such as schools, firehouses, and offices. Launched in the summer of 2015, the EBF … creation of the EBF and some of the factors that have led to its success. Source Center for Business and The Environment at Yale Areas of Focus Sustainable Finance and ESG Clean Energy …
… increase their visibility. In November of 2010, Chinese manufacturer Suntech Power opened a plant near Phoenix, Arizona. At the end of 2010, Japanese company Kyocera announced that it was building a solar module plant near San Diego, California. Sharp and Solarworld, … near Phoenix, Arizona. At the end of 2010, Japanese company Kyocera announced that it was building a solar module plant near San Diego, California. Sharp and Solarworld, …
… Foundation, Project Sammaan brought together a stellar group of designers, architects, and social science researchers to tackle one of the developing world's leading problems – open defecation in crowded urban settings. Initial planning and surveys began in 2011. With an official kickoff meeting in April 2012, the … Foundation, Project Sammaan brought together a stellar group of designers, architects, and social science researchers to tackle one of the developing world's leading problems – open …
… After commissioning two wind turbines, Tanti discovered that wind energy was an even better business than textiles. Within six years of its incorporation, Suzlon had become the … while environmental concerns over greenhouse gases emitted by coal-fired electrical plants had mounted and the price of fossil fuels had skyrocketed. With little more than a cell phone and the internet, Pedersen set to work building Suzlon’s international presence. While Suzlon pursued wind farm projects in …
… a small band of meteorologists, physicists and chemists began conducting observations and building models linking an increase in CO2 and other gasses in the atmosphere to the general … was underway and could have potentially devastating consequences for the ecology of the planet. Since automobiles were a substantial contributor of CO2 to the atmosphere, … more efficient diesel engines on the U.S. market. Meanwhile, international efforts to prevent global warming had accelerated. A series of UN-sponsored conferences, bringing …