A growing number of investors are looking for high quality information on a company’s sustainability performance, and many CEOs are being called on to demonstrate how environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors contribute to long-term commercial success. But new research by Corporate Citizenship, in association with S&P Dow Jones Indices, reveals that long-term thinking is still not the norm for many businesses:

• Over one quarter of companies studied made no reference to long-term value creation in their external reporting to investors;
• For the almost three quarters of companies that did mention long-term value, many struggle to articulate the importance of ESG factors for long-term business success.

This report is the first instalment of Corporate Citizenship’s Long-Term Value Project - a new initiative looking to bridge the gap between IR and CR. We are calling on interested parties to work together to help us identify better ways for companies, and sustainability professionals within them, to find common ground with their investors.  If you would like more information on the project please get in touch.

As the United Kingdom and Germany prepare for upcoming legislation that will require companies to disclose their gender pay gap, and as a number of European countries hold 'Equal Pay Days', there is no doubt that gender diversity is gaining momentum as a key issue at the centre of the responsible business agenda.

Our new paper entitled 'How to Improve Gender Diversity in the Workplace' is a guide for companies who want to improve their gender performance. It includes our framework “The Gender Diversity Accelerator,” which outlines how to put a strategy in place and identify key actions for improvement.

Corporate Citizenship will be joined by CDP and Henderson Global Investors to discuss how organisations can use their CDP response and environmental data effectively to engage investors. Join us for an insightful discussion which will address:

• How the CDP response can be used more effectively both within organisations and externally to engage investors, 
• How CR and sustainability teams can work more effectively with their colleagues in Investor Relations,
• How some investors are already using CDP climate change data to inform decision making and strategy.