CONTEXT-Bloomberg breakfast on ESGs

8.00am on Monday morning can be early for many people, but a hearty breakfast and a stimulating discussion started our week perfectly.

The occasion was a breakfast briefing from CONTEXT and Bloomberg on the role of environmental, social and governance information (ESG). It was held at Bloomberg’s bustling – and very green - headquarters in midtown Manhattan.

Curtis Ravenel, Head of Sustainability Initiatives at Bloomberg, outlined the company’s approach to delivering ESG data on the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg has pioneered the provision of ESG data to the investment community.

CONTEXT Senior Vice President, Jaycee Pribulsky, examined the many demands on companies to provide ESG information. She urged companies to ensure that their sustainability reports (or websites) include the ESG information often requested by surveys.

Read more about best practice tips in our current In Context briefing.

Peter Knight on what to do with 3bn paper coffee cups

Fashion futurologists take note. The US city that has nearly bankrupted itself in a bid to build a state-of-the-art trash incinerator and the rising tide of unrecyclable Starbucks paper cups could influence the way we dress and drink.

There are three elements that make up this story: trash, coffee cups and style. Let’s start with trash.

Harrisburg, capital of Pennsylvania, was once a proud, prosperous city that made big things out of steel. The Hershey chocolate empire grew up here, and the city brewed excellent beer. It is remembered for the nearby Three Mile Island accident in 1979, the nearest America came to a nuclear meltdown. It also has a problem with its trash incinerator.

Because this nation is so vast and has dug so many holes in the ground, there are relatively few municipal incinerators – about 90 in a country of 308 million people known for their throw-away lifestyle. Early incinerators were shut in the 1970s because they were so polluting. Harrisburg had one of the stinkers, but its city fathers saw its potential.

Read this article in full at Ethical Corporation