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Earlier this week, German fund manager, Allianz Global Investors (‘AllianzGI’), announced that it would vote against UK and European large cap companies that fail to link executive remuneration to ESG KPIs. The news came as AllianzGI published its annual analysis of how it voted at 2021 AGMs, while also providing an update to its voting policy for 2022. In addition to demanding companies link ESG KPIs to executive remuneration, AllianzGI also made it clear that it expects UK and US companies to come up with an approach to diversity that looks beyond gender, in line with revised appro ..read more

Demand for ESG investments has continued to increase with assets using some form of ESG assessment passing the $35 trillion mark across major markets. With the increased demand comes increased scrutiny and assurance requirements to ensure investors or companies are not exaggerating or misrepresenting the benefits of their activities, otherwise known as ‘greenwashing’. To compound the issue, ESG auditing is still in its infancy, with no single global standard and only limited assurance possible. The EU is driving ESG regulation and is only mandating limited assurance, but in three years’ t ..read more

Under the proposed directive on corporate sustainability due diligence, companies will be required to identify and prevent adverse impacts of their activities such as child labour, the exploitation of workers, pollution and biodiversity loss. These new due diligence rules will apply to all large, limited liability companies, both from within and outside the European Union – SMEs, however, are not currently inside the scope. The European Commission has adopted a proposal for new rules aimed at boosting sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour throughout global value chains. Interest ..read more