Environmental, Social & Governance Briefs

This blog is based on the April 22, 2020 webcast How COVID-19 Might Impact Consumers’ Attitudes about Sustainability, hosted by The Conference Board. Some responses have been edited and condensed for this format. To view the entirety of the webinar or download the presentation click here.

Food security for vulnerable communities and front-line responders has taken on increased relevance and importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. These are five organizations that are responding in herculean way to help those most in need.

The actions we take and leadership we provide in supporting our organizations and communities through this crisis will strengthen their trust in us and our ability to once again rise to future challenges.

Two months ago, corporate citizenship and philanthropy professionals were primarily treating COVID-19 through their disaster relief plans and focusing on China. Now is the time to shift gears by looking at our own communities and the most vulnerable.

With the focus on the health and safety of staff and partners, how do you balance your work between planning for the impacts of COVID-19 and identifying alternative volunteer experiences for workers in response to travel restrictions and cancelled events?

Strategic partnerships with nonprofits are increasingly important to companies that understand the business case for community engagement. For Atlanta-based Novelis, a decade-long collaboration with FIRST has helped the company innovate and advance its diversity and inclusion goals.

As the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has initiated proposed reforms to the proxy voting process, retail investors - whose retirement accounts, savings and private investments fuel the markets - have become more aware of the role proxy advisors play in the system. With greater knowledge of proxy advisors’ influence comes greater support among retail investors for increased SEC oversight.

With the World Health Organization declaring the Coronavirus outbreak a global health crisis and cases arising around the world, Jeff Hoffman, The Conference Board's Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy Institute Leader, offers companies six steps they can take as they consider how to respond.

When Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset management firm announced that he expects companies to consider their business in the context of climate change and that sustainable investments are the way forward, he added to mounting pressures on corporations to address environmental, social, and governance issues, experts and investor advocates said.

2019 was a pivotal year in CSR and 2020 promises to bring more challenges and opportunities to the field including these developing global trends: searching for truth, achieving carbon neutrality, employee relations, pursuing purpose over passion, and looking for the next big thing.