Environmental, Social & Governance Briefs

Continued uncertainty over the outcome of Brexit negotiations is not helping. Unemployment in the UK now stands at its lowest level in four decades. Gross domestic product growth at the start of the third quarter of 2018 also shows an economy in decent shape, having grown faster than in the prior two quarters.

Nearly half of Americans believe CEOs can influence the government, although that doesn't necessarily mean the country thinks CEOs should speak out about social issues. Americans are split on whether company leaders should try to use their influence in the public domain, but doing so could benefit the business, since nearly half of the country would be more likely to purchase from a company whose CEO has taken a stance on an issue that they agree with.

Build your community disaster-response strategy around your company’s core competencies. Your company has already developed strengths and knowledge in a specific area. Support a disaster-response strategy that aligns with that expertise to potentially save lives or lighten the burden of a disaster. Case in point: Airbnb is offering free lodging to people fleeing Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas.

Early and enduring investment by companies is critical to reconstruction and redevelopment of areas hit by disaster. Thirteen years after Hurricane Katrina struck, communities, nonprofits, and companies can now draw on the lessons of long-term engagement in disaster response. For example, collaboration and knowledge sharing are important to developing a comprehensive long-term response to redevelopment.

Following a volatile year in which threats to federal funding for the arts dissipated, businesses have shown a steadfast commitment to contributing financial and in-kind resources to support the sector. This is one of the key findings from the forthcoming Business Contributions to the Arts report, published by The Conference Board and Americans for the Arts. Join us on October 10 to hear more from the report and examples in practice from Charity Boutte, head of multicultural marketing at Aetna.

Existing company disclosure practices provide the foundation to implement the TCFD’s recommendations Precedent in oil & gas shows reporting at the level of the four principles (governance, strategy, risk, metrics) can be done. Reporting on the 11 specific recommendations will be more challenging, however, none of these are impossible to meet. Climate change is a systemic issue and investors need system-level data. Which means data from all listed companies and eventually the large private ones.

PPG is a global supplier of paints, coatings and specialty materials. Its signature community program, Colorful Communities, is a ten-year commitment to bring the company’s paint and brushes, passion, and colorful commitment to the entire PPG footprint. In this Q&A, Bryan Iams, PPG vice president of corporate communications, marketing, and government and community affairs, discusses the company’s highly focused approach to corporate philanthropy.

What drives the public’s evaluations and expectations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication in a global environment? Although companies have embraced CSR has a key business strategy, globalization has introduced new challenges for public relations practitioners seeking to engage audiences on a global level.