But charity financial advisers could do more to help ensure charities invest in line with their mission, survey finds.  
 
Latest research from the EIRIS Foundation Charity Project and the Charity Finance Directors Group (CFDG) finds that 87% of UK charities with an ethical investment policy said that their financial adviser has asked them about incorporating ethical issues within their investments. However, for those charities without an ethical investment policy, only 43% of charities said their adviser has asked about ethical investment.
 
Socially responsible investment (SRI) enables charities to invest in line with their mission, avoiding conflicts with their work and risks to their reputation. Over 90% of the general public believe that charities should invest ethically, but practice still falls a long way short of this.

Investment advisers and consultants can play a crucial role in the
decisions that charities make about their investments and whether to
consider social, environmental, ethical or governance factors. However,
some advisers have been criticised for discouraging charities from
considering ethical or socially responsible investment (SRI) and
linking their investments with mission.

Are Charity Consultants
Helping or Hindering the Development of SRI probes charity advisers’
current thinking on SRI, how they see their role in the evolving SRI
market and what would increase the take up of SRI by charity investors.
It compares the views of charities and evidence from the wider SRI
sector to explore the real and perceived barriers to change.

Key findings

§        
15% of charities without an ethical policy said that advisers were
discouraging or very discouraging. This compares to 4% of charities
with an ethical policy.
§         Some advisers do not see it as
their role to ask charity investors about SRI particularly if it is a
charity with broad aims and objectives.
§         Advisers are less
likely to ask charities about SRI if they don’t already have an ethical
investment policy – and may be more likely to be discouraging where no
such policy is in place.
§         Advisers agree that the
consideration of social and environmental risks should not harm returns
in the long-term, and could improve them. But many focus charity
clients’ attention more on short-term potential risks of
under-performance and volatility, even though studies repeatedly show
that investing ethically does not mean that financial performance has
to be sacrificed.  
§         Advisers identified a lack of
appropriate products as a key limiting factor to the promotion and
take-up of SRI.       

Advisers also feel that some trustees
are uncertain about their role in ‘imposing ethical considerations’.
But as one adviser commented, ‘Trustees need to change their view of
their obligations – they are not in a moral vacuum and they can go
beyond their governing documents.’

Report author Sam Collin
said ‘Many of the challenges raised by advisers could be easily
overcome. The intermediary role of advisers means that they could be
doing more to breakdown the perceived barriers, provide clear and up to
date information to trustees and communicate gaps in unmet demand to
service providers.’

‘Issues such as corporate governance and
climate change are more high profile than ever before in the investment
community. As the significance of ESG issues is increasingly recognised
by mainstream investors the market for advice on responsible investment
is also set to grow. Being at the forefront of new developments could
help advisers take advantage of this growth’ she concluded. 

The report recommends that advisers could do more to:

§         Raise SRI issues with all charities
§         Provide information and training to trustees
§         Include environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in standard reviews of investment managers
§         Keep informed of the latest developments
§         Communicate market gaps to fund managers

Click here (http://www.charitysri.org/homearea/documents/charityadviserdiscussionpaper.pdf) to download a copy of the research.

New batch of corporate social responsibility (CSR) case studies

Article
13, the CSR and sustainability experts, have published a new batch of
case studies profiling the initiatives being undertaken by two members
of the Confederation of British Industries (CBI) to embed and integrate
corporate social responsibility in their mainstream business
strategies.  The CBI members showcased in this edition are: Barclays
and BMW Group.

Barclays has been selected for its financial inclusion programme.  By taking a long-term, partnership approach to improving access to banking, Barclays is achieving economic gains for its customers, the communities in which it operates and the bank itself.  Barclays believes financial inclusion is an area of key importance for the banking industry in the 21st Century, affecting developed as well as developing economies.  The three pillars underpinning the Barclays financial inclusion strategy are commercial sustainability, improving lives and promoting economic regeneration.  Efforts have focused on two areas: helping to reduce the number of unbanked people and improving access to affordable credit.  (Read more…)

The other company profiled in this batch of CSR case studies is BMW Group for its education programmes in the UK.  BMW has been supporting education and the environment by running a Discovery Day at Plant Hams Hall to demonstrate to students how wildlife and technology can co-exist, hosting school visits and work experience pupils, providing expertise in support of a specialist engineering college’s bid to become an Academy and acting as the ‘principal partner’ of the Lichfield Festival.  This approach to community involvement demonstrates CSR because it has been developed in response to stakeholder feedback, involves mutually beneficial partnerships and proactively addresses future risks to business.  (Read more…)

These latest CSR case studies can be accessed from the Article 13 homepage.  The CSR case study archive is also a useful tool for CSR practitioners, containing a large range of case studies within the categories of community, education, environment, governance, new product development, strategy, supply chain and workplace.

Article 13 is an expert in business responsibility, typically in the areas of corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and governance.  Article 13 seeks to embed and integrate responsible business practices in organisations by means of consultancy services, training, coach-mentoring and thought leadership.

For further information on these case studies or to have your organisation’s CSR initiatives profiled, contact Jane Fiona Cumming on janefionac@article13.com or phone +44 (0)20 8840 4450.

DeviDoll founder chosen as one of the most inspirational women in ethical & sustainable fashion

In London Fashion Week’s Estethica guide for AW09, Matilda Lee
of the Ecologist, picked the top eleven most inspirational women
in ethical and sustainable fashion today and her list includes Sindhu
Venkatanarayanan, founder of DeviDoll.com. DeviDoll is an online
boutique which sells chic, up-to-the minute fashion; pure, organic
products for the body and exquisite soft furnishings for the home.

Along with Lucy Siegle, India Knight, Livia Firth and Dilys Williams among others, Sindhu was selected for her upfront image as activist cum retailer in the world of ethical fashion.  Sindhu has been part of Estethica’s vetting panel and also writes a regular blog (‘Curate Your Consumption’ : http://devidollblog.blogspot.com) about the intersection between sustainablility, style and fashion.

DeviDoll.com (www.devidoll.com) only stocks things which in some way benefit the Earth and its people, meaning every wearer of a Devidoll garment contributes to a wiser use of human and natural resources.

Says Sindhu, “DeviDoll’s most public face is the boutique but there is more to the brand because we are ultimately striving to make clear that the scrutiny of luxury goods’ consumption in today’s ecologically and socially aware society is often misplaced – we believe the consumption of luxury need not be conspicuous, selfish, thoughtless or shallow.  By making room in the ethical lifestyle space for couture and luxury, DeviDoll proves that being eco and ethical need not preclude being in vogue.”

DeviDoll is currently enjoying great success with its Spring Fling sale, partnering with sustainable fashion designer From Somewhere with huge discounts on international ethical fashion labels such as Mociun, Kelly B, Deborah Lindquist and Fin, many of whom are exclusive to DeviDoll.com.

Says Sindhu of the Spring Fling, “This is the very first time that DeviDoll has been involved in a venture such as this. I personally love From Somewhere and it is a great honour to partner with them as both brands stand for original, stylish fashion as well as involvement in the ethical fashion space. We are showing our commitment to keeping the flag of ethical fashion flying high despite peoples’ possible current financial constraints, and I most certainly don’t want cheap, fast fashion to seem attractive again.”

All DeviDoll clothes and furnishings are made from organic or alternative fabrics (such as hemp, soya, bamboo, modal, peace silk); benefit children and/or women in their production; help revive ancient handicrafts among local populations or are made from vintage or reused materials.  Every label eschews any form of animal cruelty.

DeviDoll is about to announce its Spring collection; details will be available soon.

BrightKidz Celebrates Five Years Keeping Children Safe

Social enterprise BrightKidz celebrated its fifth anniversary this week
with gifts of soft toys kitted out in mini fluorescent jackets for
children at Park Junior School, Kettering.

Brightkidz founder Alison Holland said, ‘To mark our fifth anniversary
of trading we presented children from Park Junior School with toy high
vis puppies, reflectors and pencils. The ten children who received the
puppies had been chosen by the school because they have made really
special efforts to promote walking and road safety so it was also a
reward for their efforts’.

The school was also presented with a ‘high vis teddy mascot’ which will be cared for by whichever class has the most children walking to school.

BrightKidz was set up by Mrs Holland after she started a ‘Walking Bus’ scheme at her children’s school in Geddington and found it hard to find attractive fluorescent, reflective jackets in children’s sizes. She realised ‘high vis’ jackets would be a great way to help keep all children safe on their way to and from school or when cycling. She set up BrightKidz as a social enterprise and with her team of nine staff now sells a wide range of fluorescent, reflective clothing and accessories for children and adults across the UK and abroad.

She says, ‘As a business we are all really pleased we have reached the five year landmark. Park Junior School was actually our very first customer so we are delighted   they are part of our celebrations.

I think our success is due to the fun way we make it safer and more attractive for parents to let their children walk and cycle, which is good for everyone. Also, most of our products are UK-made and people now recognise the importance of ‘buying local’.  We hope the next five years will bring us even more success.

For more information about walking to school schemes and BrightKidz products visit  www.brightkidz.co.uk.

 ENDS

Notes for Editors
More details, interviews and photo available on request

Contact:  Alison Holland, BrightKidz
Tel: 01536 526461 (office)        
Tel: 01536 741193 (home – please note answerphone not working properly)
Email: alison@brightkidz.co.uk
Web (sales and info): www.brightkidz.co.uk

BrightKidz is an official brand sponsor of the Department for Transport’s Think campaign, see www.dft.gov.uk/think/focusareas/children/childpedestrians?page=Partners&whoareyou_id= >

Environmental technology, also known as green and clean technology,
covers a range of equipment and techniques that can be applied to
environmental protection in a very broad sense. They are developed for
their potential to conserve the natural environment (with a low
environmental impact), enhance and protect biodiversity, improve water
quality, offer resource efficiency, minimise waste, deliver a form of
sustainable development, and to decelerate the negative affects caused
from climate change.

Article 13’s United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) commitment incorporate our efforts to ‘encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies’ (Principle 9). See our UNGC events pages.

Environmental technologies offer a management process for minimising the ecological impacts of economic production while enhancing the competitive edge of organisations. They are becoming more and more commonplace and have become a major industrial sector in their own right, through receiving huge investment, governmental support, and private and public involvement. Organisations are now seeing environmental technologies as a competitive force and a tool for competitive advantage; enabling access to the ever growing areas of sustainable development and clean technology. There are new groundbreaking technological developments within the areas of renewable energy, water management, low carbon technology, and the transport industry (e.g. hybrid vehicles). Below are just some of the current and used environmental technologies:

1. Paper thin displays: Electronic paper, containing microcapsules along with particles that carry electric charges on a steel foil. Offers a thin flexible display that looks very much like real paper and can be reused over and over.  
2. Desalination: Removing the salt and minerals out of seawater. This is one way to provide drinkable water in parts of the world where supplies are limited
3. Green roof: These are structural components that help to mitigate the effects of urbanisation on water quality by filtering, absorbing or detaining rainfall. They also act as a carbon sink, making the air quality better and reducing carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere

New innovations in environmental technology have the potential to pave a sustainable way for the future through making important contributions to our lives, and the environment we live in. Some particularly useful resources are:

Article 13 case study
• Hydrogen fuel transport: hydrogen fuel cell buses with zero carbon emissions, which help develop a potential solution to mitigating carbon change.

General resources
• Green technology pages from the Guardian newspaper.
• Green Technology Tent – shining the light on international environmental technologies.

For more information please contact Fiona Banyard on fionab@article13.com or call 020 8840 4450. Please also see Article 13’s website www.article13.com