SustainabilityHQ.com Weekly Highlights March 01, 2012

Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Reporting
G&A Institute is the Global Reporting Initiative's (GRI) sole data partner for the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. As the data partner we monitor, analyze and database information on all Sustainability reports issued in these territories. Recent Sustainability and CR Reports issued in the USA, UK and Ireland are:

USA

• TransNational Bankcard Announces Release of 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
  February 23, 2012 Source: TransNational Bankcard

• Caesars Entertainment Issues 2010-2011 Sustainability Report Highlighting Achievements, Awards and Impacts
  February 23, 2012 Source: Bradenton Herald

ESG / Sustainability

What GRI Learned in Its First Year in America
(Wednesday - February 29, 2012) Associated Profiles : UN - Global Reporting Initiative GRI
Source: Mike Wallace, Green Biz- We don’t officially stop counting 2011 reporters until March, but based on current information we are estimating roughly a 35 percent increase in GRI reporters in the U.S. from 2010 to 2011. Our latest analysis of North American...

US attorneys general pressure Google on privacy
(Friday - February 24, 2012) Associated Profiles : National Association of Attorneys General
Source: Physorg.com - Attorneys general from across the United States urged Google on Wednesday to put the brakes on plans for a major change to its privacy policy.

TIME (blog) Why Obama's 'All of the Above' Energy Policy Won't Ease Pain at the Pump
(Friday - February 24, 2012)
Source: Time - I have a brilliant idea that will solve the nation’s energy problem. We need to invest in a massive research program—I mean Apollo Project-sized—to invent a silver bullet. Because all I keep hearing is that we’re all waiting...

Ethicists blast chair of science ethics panel for taking global warming skeptic group’s papers
(Thursday - February 23, 2012)
Source: Washington Post - WASHINGTON — In the field of climate science, when someone — especially skeptics — did something ethically questionable or misrepresented facts, scientist Peter Gleick was usually among the first and loudest to cry foul. He...

Commentary

The Pipeline For Canada
(Monday - February 27, 2012)
Source: Robert R. McMillan - There has been a great deal of controversy over the proposed pipeline from Alberta, Canada to Texas. Trans-Canada proposed the Keystone Pipeline to enter the U.S. in Montana and then pass through South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas...

In Defense of Responsible Offshoring and Outsourcing
(Thursday - February 23, 2012)
Source: Harvard Business Review - Let's get real — and back to basics. In an era of high unemployment, and especially in this political season of economic nationalism, both parties outdo themselves with promises to "rebuild America." Yet, the imperatives of...

Sovereign Wealth Funds

Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund chief Zain resigns
(Tuesday - February 28, 2012) Associated Profiles : Mumtalakat Holding Company
Source: Daily Star - DUBAI: The chief executive of Bahrain's $9 billion sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat, told Reuters he has resigned to set up a new investment firm in the Gulf Arab island kingdom. "I'm leaving Mumtalakat after four years of...

Thai official predicts euro zone breakup
(Monday - February 27, 2012) Associated Profiles : Government Pension Fund (Thailand)
Source: Asia News Network- Bank of Thailand Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul envisions the eventual break-up of the euro zone. Much depends on the euro economies' commitment to the handling of their structural problems and agrees...

China to improve monitoring of capital flows - SAFE
(Monday - February 27, 2012) Associated Profiles : State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) Investment Company (China)
Source: Reuters - BEIJING - China's yuan is moving towards equilibrium after a volatile second half of 2011 and there will be a sharper focus on cross-border capital flows to fight speculation in the fledgling ...

The top 20 sovereign wealth funds globally
(Thursday - February 23, 2012) Associated Profiles : Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, China Investment Corporation
Source: efinancial news- As Israel prepares to start a sovereign wealth fund that would put it at number 13 in the rankings of the world’s largest wealth funds, we look at the top 20 as they stand today, according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute....

Asset Managers

Schroders to launch European total return fund
(Monday - February 27, 2012) Associated Profiles : Schroders
Source: Money Marketing Online - Schroders will launch an offshore fund targeting European equities for one of its new recruits next month.

Sustainability 2.0: using sustainability to drive business innovation and growth
(Monday - February 27, 2012) Associated Profiles : MSCI Group (NYSE: MDX)
Source: Australian Policy Online - The adoption of environmentally sustainable practices may lead to more integrated business strategies that identify opportunities and risks as a way to enhance revenue, margins ...

HSBC to Withdraw From Japan Consumer Banking, Close Branches
(Thursday - February 23, 2012) Associated Profiles : Credit Suisse Group AG
Source: BusinessWeek- HSBC Holdings Plc, Europe’s largest bank, will withdraw from consumer banking in Japan, closing down six branches four years after starting the business.

This is just a sample of some of the articles from this weeks SustainabilityHQ Highlights.  You can view the full Highlights by using the following links.  Sustainability | ESG, Highlights for the Week of  March 01, 2012