DESPITE HEIGHTENING INVESTOR PRESSURE, FEW COMPANIES PUBLICLY REPORT ON SUSTAINABILITY, SPHERA'S NEW SURVEY FINDS

 New data from Sphera reveals that, despite promises to the contrary, companies struggle with implementing and disclosing progress on their sustainability efforts


CHICAGO, Oct 1 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Though pressure is growing from all corners—from investors, to governments, to boards of directors—companies worldwide struggle to report progress on their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals. Indeed, just 38% of businesses publicly communicate their sustainability performance, according to a new survey from Sphera^®, a leading global provider of ESG performance and risk management software, data and consulting services.

It’s not just a matter of disclosing progress on their objectives, however; companies are also behind the curve when it comes to clearly setting their ESG goals in the first place. Less than one-third (29%) of the respondents said they have set and communicated their sustainability targets, and even fewer—16%—have set emissions targets in accordance with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) framework.

This marked lack of ESG transparency highlights the persistently wide chasm between ESG promises and action in the private sector. In the absence of significant, enforceable regulations worldwide, companies have largely been left to voluntarily make commitments, but with no meaningful mechanisms to either measure their progress or hold themselves accountable to them. About half (51%) of companies surveyed affirm that their senior management has made sustainability commitments, but only 21% say they have a clear roadmap to implementation, and just 26% say they have fully integrated sustainability into their business strategy.

“It’s easy to ‘talk the talk’ when it comes to corporate ESG initiatives, but much harder to ‘walk the walk’,” says Paul Marushka, Sphera’s CEO. “Businesses have largely been left to their own devices to establish and measure their sustainability performance, leading to a constellation of voluntary frameworks that ultimately disincentivize meaningful action. But with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recent report providing its strongest warning yet – indicating that half-measures will no longer cut it – and the upcoming COP26 conference promising to hold the business community to account, organizations need to start making good on their promises and show tangible progress.”

These findings are from Sphera’s Sustainability Survey 2021, a survey of 218 global business leaders evaluating their sustainability metrics, measurement and progress.

Additional findings from the survey include:

Scope 3 is missing from the menu. Though reducing emissions across the value chain is essential to meeting decarbonization targets and—for those businesses who have committed to them—achieving net zero emissions, very few companies have accounted for Scope 3 emissions in their sustainability plans. Only 13% of businesses surveyed said they have identified all relevant Scope 3 categories and completed a corresponding hotspot analysis; 29% say they consider the entire value chain when calculating their corporate emissions baseline or carbon footprint.

“Scope 3 emissions can make up the vast majority of a company’s overall carbon footprint,” Marushka added, “which means any sound sustainability strategy must involve an assessment of the supply chain and a commitment to working with suppliers who are also taking measurable steps to reduce their emissions. The end result ultimately creates a multiplier effect for both companies’ sustainability efforts.”

Poor data quality can stymie even the best efforts. Only a minority of respondents (16%) use data from established commercial databases to quantify their corporate carbon footprint; another 14% say they use high-quality, industry-based data for baseline assessment at the product level. In practice, this means many more organizations are using suboptimal datasets, such as spend-based, input-output databases, to measure their emissions. These types of top-down, nonspecific data sources can lead to inaccurate assessments, further exacerbating the gap between sustainability promises and outcomes.

The middle market struggles the most. Perhaps unsurprisingly, large organizations with more than $1 billion in revenue are more likely to be rated as optimized (34%) in terms of sustainability maturity.¹ At the same time, 39% of small businesses with less than $100 million in revenue are considered optimized. Midsize businesses trail both, with an optimization rate of just 30%. In fact, midsize businesses are more likely than their larger or smaller counterparts to not exceed basic compliance requirements (25% vs.13% for smaller organizations and 6% for larger organizations).

About the Sustainability Maturity Survey 2021 
Sphera partnered with the University of Esslingen in Germany to design and field a survey of companies throughout Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. Respondents represented businesses in a wide range of industries, including automotive, construction, education, health care, oil and gas, manufacturing and technology. The survey was conducted between April 7 and May 3.

About Sphera  
Sphera creates a safer, more sustainable and productive world. We are a leading global provider of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance and risk management software, data and consulting services with a focus on Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHS&S), Operational Risk Management and Product Stewardship.

Press Contact
Kylie Souder
kylie.souder@aspectusgroup.com
+1 513-304-5776

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¹ According to Sphera’s Sustainability Maturity rubric, an “optimized” business leverages ESG software and data resources to go above and beyond meeting compliance requirements to help find efficiencies, increase productivity and innovation, reduce costs and mitigate risks. A “leader” is at the head of the competitive pack and is shaping the future of its sector through its sustainability initiatives.


SOURCE : Sphera

J.P. Morgan Securities plc: Pre-stabilisation Period Announcement

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 -- J.P. Morgan Securities plc hereby gives notice, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilising Manager(s) named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation EU/xxx/2016 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU/596/2016).

According to a statement, Stabilisation Manager(s) are BNP Paribas; Citi; and, Goldman Sachs International.

In connection with the offer of the securities, the Stabilising Manager(s), or persons acting on behalf of the Stabilising Manager(s) may over-allot the securities, provided that the aggregate principal amount of the securities allotted does not exceed 105 per cent of the aggregate principal amount of the securities, or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail.

However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time, but it must end no later than the earlier of 30 days after the issue date of the securities and 60 days after the date of allotment of the securities.

Stabilisation period expected to start on Sept 28, while Stabilisation period expected to end no later than Oct 28.

This announcement and the offer of the securities to which it relates are only addressed to and directed at persons outside the United Kingdom and persons in the United Kingdom who have professional experience in matters related to investments.

This also includes high net worth persons within Article 12(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in the United Kingdom.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. 

-- BERNAMA

Walking the talk: Talkwalker hastens brands to actionable consumer intelligence

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 -- Talkwalker, the #1 consumer intelligence company has announced the launch of two products.

These will strengthen its Consumer Intelligence Acceleration Platform(TM) alongside the growth of its social listening capabilities and deliver brands actionable consumer intelligence to drive business impact.

“Our new products and platform expand our deep listening capabilities into new areas, arming brands with insights that they can benefit from immediately,” said Talkwalker Chief Executive Officer, Tod Nielsen in a statement.

Talkwalker's platform, powered by Blue Silk(TM) technology, now includes three industry-leading products namely Market Intelligence; Customer Intelligence; and, Social Intelligence.

Market Intelligence provides consumer trends analysis and real-time industry datasets, with an app per category, to fast-track innovation. Covering a variety of industries including consumer goods, entertainment, health & wellness.

Meanwhile, Customer Intelligence creates a unique single customer view by combining customer and consumer data, social, ratings, and reviews, while Social Intelligence is an expansion of its deep social listening capabilities at scale, to help companies protect, measure, and promote their brands.

Talkwalker also introduced its professional services Talkwalker Activate team, offering a broad range of customer services, including training, onboarding and insights, to help clients accelerate their time to value with Talkwalker technologies, from investment to real-world results.

Talkwalker was also announced as a Twitter Official Partner, recognised as a vetted, best-in-class solution to help brands innovate and scale their business.

The new offerings were announced live at Talkwalker's Dare to accelerate, a customer event in Paris that brought together industry leaders to inspire the next generation of consumer intelligence.

At the event, Talkwalker demonstrated how the platform can be used across all aspects of the business for social listening, market research, customer intelligence, and product development.

More details at www.talkwalker.com.

-- BERNAMA

WE Communications study reveals consumers want brands to rectify fractured world

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 -- WE Communications has released results from its latest Brands in Motion report, ‘The Bravery Mandate’, with the data exposed escalating tension between expectations for brands to drive stability in a fast-changing, fractured world and heightened skepticism about purpose-washing.

“We’ve reached an inflection point where people are craving businesses to fill the leadership void. To be the driving force of positive societal impact, brands should ask themselves, ‘If not us, who?’ and take bold, brave action,” said WE Communications Global Chief Executive Officer, Melissa Waggener Zorkin.

According to a statement, the number of global study respondents saying they expect brands to create stability in uncertain times rose 30 per cent since 2019 — with brands now viewed as important a pillar of society as educators and friend-and-family networks.

Despite those rising expectations, brands’ perceived impact for societal good remains flat, with 52 per cent saying that attempts to impact societal issues are anchored in trying to sell more products or services. 

Consumers and B2B decision-makers are voting with their wallets to measure brand support. Two out of three respondents say they are more likely to purchase or recommend products or services from brands that address societal issues that matter to them.

Although two-thirds of survey respondents are open to brands speaking and acting on societal issues, one third are not. Navigating this divide requires active engagement with key stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, customers and community members, to illuminate long-term goals and values.

In addition, the Brands in Motion report dug into expectations when it comes to defining and demonstrating brand purpose. It’s clear that expectations are high and at times nuanced — taking a stance on social issues requires agility and long-term commitment.

Over the past five years, Brands in Motion global studies have surveyed more than 90,000 consumers and B2B decision-makers worldwide to understand the impact of how perceptions shift over time.

-- BERNAMA

Wings Capital Partners LLC soars with US$500 million secured loan facility closing

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 -- Wings Capital Partners LLC (Wings) has announced the closing of a US$500 million secured loan facility with a syndicate of four major international banks. (US$1 = RM4.175)

The five-year loan facility contains a two-year acquisition period and can be upsized to US$750 million. The facility will be used to acquire a portfolio of predominantly young, in-demand, narrow-body commercial jet aircraft.

The lending group consists of Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Credit Agricole Securities, Natixis S.A. and Royal Bank of Canada. Goldman Sachs Bank USA acted as structuring agent for the facility.

“We are very pleased with the closing of this transaction. It provides access to efficient debt capital that allows Wings to execute on its business plan.

“Wings remains committed to the aviation leasing sector and the facility will support our growth initiatives for the platform. The support from our banking partners demonstrates the confidence the financial community has in our capabilities and business model,” said Jakob Gallagher, Vice President – Treasurer & Capital Markets in a statement.

Wings is a private, full-service aircraft leasing platform primarily investing in single-aisle, in-production commercial jet aircraft on lease to airlines worldwide.

It is led by best in class management team with significant aviation leasing experience (33 years average for senior team) and long-standing airline, lessor, banking, investor and legal relationships.

-- BERNAMA

NTHU researchers unveil ultrasonic vortex thrombolytic device for quick thrombosis treatment

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 -- As COVID-19 vaccination has raised the issue of thrombosis, Dr Chih-Kuang Yeh, Distinguished Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, has led a research team to develop the world's first ultrasonic vortex thrombolytic device and treat thrombosis quickly and safely.

The research has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in 2021. Moreover, US and EU patents are granted, with more applications on the way, according to a statement.

The device is developed to solve two common thrombosis called pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which have global prevalence of 10 million new cases annually.

Yeh explained the current treatment options included drug delivery catheter and thrombectomy devices, but they were not effective enough or might bring up hemorrhage risks.

Working with industrial partners, his team has developed a 0.2-mm ultrasonic device, which can generate tornado-like ultrasonic vortex and create a strong turbulent around the thrombus, therefore increasing penetration of thrombolytic drugs and resulting in very effective thrombolysis. The residue of the dissolved thrombus is just 0.001 cm.

He said animal studies had shown results of 60 per cent thrombus shrinkage in the mice brain after applying ultrasonic vortex for 10 minutes, demonstrating the potential of fast treatment. What’s more, the feedback property of ultrasound can be used for real-time treatment monitoring.

Yeh added his team was also working on using ultrasonic vortex for non-invasive thrombolysis, providing potential to treat embolisms in the brain. 

In addition, while combining with microbubbles for controlled drug release, treatment for neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy, will become possible.

Yeh’s team is named VorteSonic, a combination of vortex and sonic waves. Core team members include Ph.D. students Wei-Chen Lo and Zong-Han Hsieh, who are in charge of ultrasonic transducers and the driving system; and Dr Chun-Yen Lai, who will be leading the team after spinning off a startup from the university.

-- BERNAMA

BANDAI NAMCO Group announces ‘GUNDAM OPEN INNOVATION’ application period extension

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 -- BANDAI NAMCO Group has begun a GUNDAM-powered, sustainability project, ‘GUNDAM UNIVERSAL CENTURY DEVELOPMENT ACTION (GUDA)’, and brought together fans worldwide along with many external partners to plan and take upon a variety of initiatives for the children of the future.

As part of the initiative, ‘GUNDAM OPEN INNOVATION’ was established in an effort to gather new ideas and technologies that can face the many issues found within society such as population and global environmental problems.

To further promote the initiative, a decision has been made to extend the application period for one additional month, according to a statement.

‘GUNDAM OPEN INNOVATION’ is a programme to create future dreams and hopes by revisiting the similarities between the real world and the fictional era of GUNDAM, the ‘Universal Century’, and merging ‘GUNDAM’ with ‘future technologies’ to face the social issues that exist in both worlds.

An initial invitation for application was announced back in July this year, with the first-phase deadline set on Aug 15, and a second-phase application deadline set on Sept 15.

An overwhelming amount of applications was received, with many requests for an extended deadline. Under the concept of receiving as many ideas as possible, a third-phase deadline has been decided and set for Oct 15, with hope of seeing more ideas to come.

An interview video is now available to the public, featuring BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Corporate Managing Director and CGO, Koji Fujiwara, who is hosting ‘GUNDAM OPEN INNOVATION’ and the directors behind the ‘moving GUNDAM’ that was built last year in Yokohama.

The interview also brings up what the future of GUNDAM holds and how BANDAI NAMCO pushed out the GUNDAM brand in the form of products and services. 

More details at https://www.bandainamco.co.jp/guda/goi/en/

-- BERNAMA