Faith-based investors have a long history of corporate engagements seeking to advance rights for workers in the U.S. and in global supply chains. For decades, ongoing engagements with companies in at-risk sectors including apparel and footwear, food and agriculture, and electronics have centered on the risks of human trafficking and forced labor, paying a living wage, and the need to respect unionization efforts.
As responsible investors, we advocate for corporate and systemic reforms that will improve the health and well-being of all communities. For decades, faith-based investors working through the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility have engaged leading pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, who must prioritize people over profits, on access and affordability of medicines, vaccines, and other health technologies.
In an effort to stanch the depletion of forests and ocean life, designers and manufacturers will continue to dream up alternatives to the materials they’ve traditionally relied on, especially those coming from supposedly sustainable resources—all in an effort to lower the impact of our consumption on the planet’s various systems. Part of which involves the shortening of supply chains and the surge in new biomaterials and fabrication techniques.
New ESG and sustainability regulations, set to go into effect across the globe over the next year, will put pressure on companies to be officially transparent. And the sustainability agenda will move beyond fossil fuels to other areas such as methane emissions, addressing deforestation and increasing and protecting biodiversity. All of which, businesswise, will mean balancing short-term profits with long-term sustainability investment.
Among the 10 forecasts put out by Whole Foods’ Trends Council: more plant-based offerings and a whittling down of ingredients; even cleaner “clean caffeine” products, and coffee and energy drinks with everything from mushrooms and probiotics to berries and limes; hormonal remedy products (bars, teas and “sleepy girl mocktails”) for women’s health; and products grown with regenerative agriculture—from rices to shampoos.
Pre-pandemic supply chains could be as dirty and unsustainable as they always were. No more. As foretold here, companies have begun to home in on more and better risk-mitigation strategies, such as on-shore, near-shore and off-shore being closer to actual demand and coming up backup sources and suppliers for key materials. Overall, supply chains will also be coming under more ESG scrutiny and be expected to be smarter about how they (positively and negatively) affect sustainability.
What with solar and wind energy becoming such inexpensive electricity sources nowadays, and with the Inflation Reduction Act finally taking root in the business community, expect a boom in renewable energy investments. All of which will be even more possible given decreasing Fed rates and a slowdown in inflation.
Among the two dozen predictions and happenings from Grist for the next year: the official kickoff of the American Climate Corps, wherein 20,000 18- to 26-year-olds will spread out across the U.S. to install solar projects, mitigate wildfire risk and make homes more energy-efficient; installing a climate reparations fund at the World Bank; the spread of “greenhushing” (corporations hiding their climate commitments to avoid scrutiny); and a boom in carbon-capture technology.
ImpactAssets, the impact investing trailblazer with a decade-plus track record of mobilizing capital for good, surpassed $3B in total AUM this year, according to its 2023 Impact Report. The report also reveals that the firm directed a total of $458M in investments and $224M in grants towards funds, companies, and nonprofits advancing a more equitable, net-zero world.
Now more than ever, corporate leadership on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues is imperative. And so is transparency. As companies decarbonize, align with the Sustainable Development Goals and rebuild an equitable economy post-pandemic, they must be open about their efforts. Each year, 3BL evaluates the largest public U.S. companies on ESG transparency and performance.
