The Ethos Foundation has joined the Shareholders for Change engagement network, which provides a collective engagement platform that allows smaller institutional investors dedicated to socially responsible investment to increase the impact of their engagement activities with European companies.
Ethos is pursuing its efforts to combat climate change by supporting "The Investor Agenda" endorsed by 392 global investors at the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS), which is being held from 12 to 14 September 2018 in San Francisco.
The evaluation of Ethos’s activity report covering the year 2017 to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is now available. As every year, the result of the assessment in which 1462 organizations participated places Ethos among the world leaders in sustainable finance with scores well above the median in all 6 dimensions analyzed, in 3 of which Ethos even received the best possible evaluation (A+).
Ethos and the members of the Ethos Engagement Pool International (EEP International) are launching a multi-year engagement program urging eight European electric utilities to develop ambitious climate strategies to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Several institutional investors across the globe have decided to support these efforts, in total the investor group represents approximately EUR 100 billion.
Ethos CEO Vincent Kaufmann is delivering a statement at the Credit Suisse annual general meeting today recommending that shareholders vote against the board’s proposals regarding board and executive remuneration and against the re-election of the chairman of the board. Ethos also asks that the board re-inforces its corporate social responsibility.
Ethos will make a statement at today’s annual general meeting of Nestlé in the context of the initiative “Climate Action 100+” urging the board to take additional measures in terms of the risks related to climate change. Ethos is also asking for the board to take the necessary steps to reduce current tensions with certain stakeholders of the company.
Ethos Foundation and the members of the Ethos Engagement Pool International are founding signatories of the Climate Action 100+ initiative, a five-year, investor-led initiative supported by 225 investors across the globe. Climate Action 100+ will engage the world’s 100 largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters to curb emissions across their value chains, strengthen climate-related financial disclosures, and improve the governance of climate-related risks that may affect companies.
The results of the climate compatibility test organised by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) 2° Investing Initiative were published on 23 October 2017. They show that pension funds are not yet aligned with the target of keeping global warming below 2° as set by the Paris Agreement on December 2015 and of which Switzerland is also a signatory. Ethos also submitted its funds to the test to check their compatibility. According to this assessment, the Ethos funds are compatible with the 2° scenario.
A group of 100 global investors amongst whom Ethos and the members of the Ethos Engagement Pool international called on the world’s largest banks for more commitment to fight global warming by financing the transition to a low-carbon economy.