Investors and Global Sustainability

Carlota Garcia-Manas, Head of Research at EIRIS which recently published its annual report ranking global leaders in sustainability. While Garcia-Manas noted that progress is being made on sustainability she indicated that much more needs to be done. Mark Robertson, report author and Head of Communications at EIRIS pointed to legislation in Europe and increased public awareness. Both Garcia-Manas and Robertson said that investors have a prominent role to play driving sustainability.

Garcia-Manas said: "There are signs that companies are making sustainability a priority and acknowledging its importance, not only in terms of acting as good 'corporate citizens' but also in terms of ensuring their own long-term success. However, it's clear that companies need to do much more if they are to meet the concerns of their stakeholders and investors whilst managing the impacts of their businesses upon society and the environment in a sustainable way, both now and in the future".

“Big differences in corporate sustainability performance exist at the global and regional level. Tighter sustainability legislation in Europe and more public awareness contributes to this difference" said Mark Robertson, report author and Head of Communications at EIRIS. "Given these differences it is vital that investors use their influence as shareholders to drive improvements in sustainability performance" he added.

© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.