The number of companies that report sustainability data, such as how much energy and water they use, has dropped since 2008, according to a report by Aviva Investors.
Only 52 companies out of 4,001 mid and large-caps around the world disclosed data on seven key themes: energy, greenhouse gas emissions, water, waste, lost time injury rate, payroll costs and employee turnover.
Companies trading on the Netherlands’ stock exchange had the best sustainability data, followed by Denmark and Finland, while the two emerging market stock exchanges in the top ten were South Africa and Brazil. Financial companies had the lowest sustainability disclosure across all industries.
Aviva Investors said the onus was on policy makers to “reinvigorate the practice of corporate sustainability reporting”.
Earlier this year, Aviva Investors said it would lay off 160 staff and shut down four equity desks, including one that focused on sustainable responsible investments. The firm said it would create a global responsible investment team that would oversee sustainability issues.
©2012 funds europe
