ESG News

ESG’s ‘Social License’ Will Endure Even If the Letters Don’t

It’s been a bumpy stretch for adherents of investment strategies based on environmental, social and governance data. Much has been written about how Vladimir Putin’s February invasion of Ukraine raised geopolitical questions about why ESG-focused funds were even invested in …

ESG Managers Say Wave of Probes, Scorn Heralds Better Days Ahead

ESG investment strategies are being probed for deceptive labeling, criticized for excluding firms like Tesla Inc. and questioned as to whether they actually work. All this, some sustainable fund managers said, could be a good thing. Tough scrutiny of loosely-regulated …

More Insurers to Offer Better D&O Coverage to Businesses With Robust ESG Frameworks: Marsh

Marsh announced today several enhancements to directors and officers liability (D&O) insurance offerings that could enable more clients to benefit from superior environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks. The move signals a greater willingness among D&O underwriters to recognize organizations …

Corporate America Looks for Leeway on U.S. Climate Disclosures

Business associations for top U.S.-listed companies have pushed back against a landmark proposal by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to make corporate America disclose a range of greenhouse gas emission figures. Groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the …

Nasdaq Urges SEC Not to Move Ahead with Climate Disclosure Plan

Nasdaq Inc. is pushing back against the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s plans to make publicly traded companies reveal detailed information about their greenhouse gas pollution. The stock-exchange operator urged the SEC to shelve its plans to require businesses to …

The SEC War on Greenwashing Has Begun

For all the greenwashers out there on Wall Street, the party may really be over. There’s now little doubt that the US Securities and Exchange Commission actually means business in its bid to crackdown on misleading claims by managers of …

CEO-Worker Pay Gap Jumps in 2021 at Low-Wage Companies

The pay gap between workers and CEOs at 300 publicly listed U.S. companies with the lowest median wage jumped in 2021, a study from the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) showed on Tuesday. The average gap was 670 to 1, …

SEC to Unveil Rule to Crackdown on Funds ESG ‘Greenwashing’

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday will propose rule changes aimed at stamping out unfounded claims by funds on their environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) credentials, and enforcing more standardization of such disclosures. The proposal will …

Tesla Cut From S&P 500 ESG Index, and Elon Musk Tweets His Fury

An S&P Dow Jones Indices executive told Reuters on Wednesday it has removed electric carmaker Tesla Inc. from the widely followed S&P 500 ESG Index because of issues including claims of racial discrimination and crashes linked to its autopilot vehicles, …

Tesla, Echoing Musk, Says ESG Metrics Are ‘Fundamentally Flawed’

Tesla Inc., whose Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has criticized ESG for making little sense, said current ways of measuring environmental, social and governance issues are “fundamentally flawed.” In a 144-page annual report, the electric vehicle-maker said ESG ratings are …