Investors converged at the recent Who Cares Wins event, agreeing on the need to improve communication between companies and investors; and positioning such communications as key in driving value and integration of ESG factors.
Amongst others, increased uptake of GRI reporting was advocated as means to improve communication to investors. It was agreed that “reporting by standardised frameworks (such as the GRI) would be appreciated by all investor types.” (p13, event report).
The mostly European, mainstream-investor audience also agreed that GRI reporting could also fulfil other goals: “…the widespread adoption of GRI reporting would likely reduce the number of questionnaires and other ESG data requests received by companies” (p10, event report)
“Who Cares Wins” has gained significant traction over recent years. Initially beginning as a UN-Global Compact report, it has since evolved one of the most important events for mainstream institutions that look at ESG issues. Whilst there are other specialized SRI-type events, this event remains one of the largest for so-called “mainstream” investors. It is also noteworthy that it focuses on the role of asset management and brokerages in ESG integration.
These and other major themes are highlighted in the event report (PDF).