This quarter marks the launch of a three-year engagement project focused on labor practices in the retail and hospitality sectors, along with the wider gig economy, in the aftermath of the pandemic. In a Q&A, Laura Bosch answers questions about why the team started this engagement program, and what it aims to achieve.
The pandemic emphasized the relevance of digital innovation in health care, reinvigorating dialogues in an engagement theme that began in late 2019, just before Covid-19 made health the number one priority. Anouk in ‘t Veld explains the progress she has seen and the challenges that remain.
The crisis continued to leave a mark on the annual AGM season of shareholder meetings that took place in the second quarter, most of which were conducted virtually rather than in person. Michiel van Esch provides an update on the team’s ongoing engagement theme for good governance, including the topic of board remuneration during the pandemic.
Improving standards in mining
One issue that precedes the coronavirus is the environmental impact of mining. Clean technologies are leading to booming demand for minerals – but this soaring demand can have significant adverse impacts on ecosystems and communities. Cristina Cedillo outlines how the mining sector is adapting practices to minimize these negative impacts during her engagement.
Voting remains an important tool in the Active Ownership toolbox. As the peak of the 2021 proxy season has drawn to a close, Robert Dykstra reflects on the increasing focus on climate action during shareholder meetings. While the pandemic has dominated the headlines, tackling global warming and decarbonization remains a high priority for investors.
Finally, Japan’s Corporate Governance Code has been revised in several key areas: raising standards for board independence, promoting diversity, and including sustainability into corporate decision making. Carolina Vergroesen highlights reactions to the changes and what it means for investors in Japan.
Shadow of uncertainty
“The Covid-19 pandemic lingers and continues to cast a long shadow of uncertainty on what the world will look like once it is over,” says Carola van Lamoen, Head of Sustainable Investing at Robeco in the introduction to the report.
“The crisis has once again exposed the fact that certain groups of workers remain vulnerable and require strong labor rights to ensure their continued safety, security and well-being. Additionally, the pandemic underlined the importance of our continued engagement work on the digital innovation of health care.”
“And as the push for carbon neutrality is growing, so is the demand for precious minerals which are required for many renewable solutions. We are engaging with the mining industry to ensure it transitions to more responsible practices to ensure its operations have a limited environmental and social impact.”
Read the full report免責聲明
本文由荷宝海外投资基金管理(上海)有限公司(“荷宝上海”)编制, 本文内容仅供参考, 并不构成荷宝上海对任何人的购买或出售任何产品的建议、专业意见、要约、招揽或邀请。本文不应被视为对购买或出售任何投资产品的推荐或采用任何投资策略的建议。本文中的任何内容不得被视为有关法律、税务或投资方面的咨询, 也不表示任何投资或策略适合您的个人情况, 或以其他方式构成对您个人的推荐。 本文中所包含的信息和/或分析系根据荷宝上海所认为的可信渠道而获得的信息准备而成。荷宝上海不就其准确性、正确性、实用性或完整性作出任何陈述, 也不对因使用本文中的信息和/或分析而造成的损失承担任何责任。荷宝上海或其他任何关联机构及其董事、高级管理人员、员工均不对任何人因其依据本文所含信息而造成的任何直接或间接的损失或损害或任何其他后果承担责任或义务。 本文包含一些有关于未来业务、目标、管理纪律或其他方面的前瞻性陈述与预测, 这些陈述含有假设、风险和不确定性, 且是建立在截止到本文编写之日已有的信息之上。基于此, 我们不能保证这些前瞻性情况都会发生, 实际情况可能会与本文中的陈述具有一定的差别。我们不能保证本文中的统计信息在任何特定条件下都是准确、适当和完整的, 亦不能保证这些统计信息以及据以得出这些信息的假设能够反映荷宝上海可能遇到的市场条件或未来表现。本文中的信息是基于当前的市场情况, 这很有可能因随后的市场事件或其他原因而发生变化, 本文内容可能因此未反映最新情况,荷宝上海不负责更新本文, 或对本文中不准确或遗漏之信息进行纠正。