Sixty-four institutional investors that signed onto a new Ceres-coordinated initiative (modeled after the Climate Action 100+ initiative)—dubbed the Valuing Water Finance Initiative—plan to engage with 72 companies “with a high water footprint” to address water-related risks. Participating investors include As You Sow, CalPERS, CalSTRS, Boston Common, and the New York City Comptroller’s Office. Investor signatories are expected to engage with portfolio companies using this six-step framework:
While not expressly included among the expectations, companies are expected to disclose meaningful information about their water management, goals, and performance, to inform investor engagements and engagement progress. Ceres cites the CDP, GRI, CDSB, and SASB as among the standards and frameworks that include key water indicators.
See these articles: “Investors Seek to Pull Plug on Water Risks” (ESG Investor), “Institutional investors join forces to address financial, environmental risks of water” (Pensions & Investments), and “Leading investors put companies on notice over global water crisis” (Responsible Investor) (subscription required), and additional resources on our Sustainability page.
This post first appeared in the weekly Society Alert!