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ASrIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN SINGAPORE. A GREAT SUCCESS
ASrIA would like to thank our sponsors, speakers and delegates for making the Annual Conference in Singapore, June 15-16, a rousing success. The highlights of the Conference included the IFC's call for the private equity community to set social and environmental due diligence standards, in depth discussion of supply chain issues, new SRI fund performance data, and a close look at how investors and activists are approaching the deforestation issue. Please visit our eye-catching and comprehensive post-conference page at http://www.asria.org/events/singapore/july04/postconf/postconf for conference notes, speakers papers and lots of great photos.

THE CASE FOR SRI FUNDS: HONG KONG INVESTORS FIT THE PROFILE
A survey, jointly conducted by ASrIA and the University of Hong Kong's Corporate Environmental Governance Programme, shows a clear pattern of interest in sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) funds for Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF).
http://www.asria.org/publications/#hksurvey

SRI IN HONG KONG AND SRI IN SINGAPORE - NEW REPORTS PUBLISHED
ASrIA has published two new reports in our series of reports on SRI in Asian markets - SRI in Hong Kong and SRI in Singapore. These reports are freely available on our website.
http://www.asria.org/publications/#countryreport

A COMPARISON OF INVESTOR VIEWS IN DIFFERENT MARKETS
ASrIA initiated the translation into English of an important survey by Japan's Ministry of Environment. This study highl! ights si milarities and differences of SRI investors in different markets (the US, UK and Japan), demographically and regarding the priorities on a range of SRI criteria. The Survey will help investors understand attitudes toward a range of issues which support SRI markets in Japan and elsewhere.
http://www.asria.org/publications/#japanmoe

ASrIA AND ADFIAP RUN WORKSHOP FOR ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANKERS
ASrIA recently led a very successful and intensive four-day workshop in Hong Kong on SRI for a group of senior Asian development bankers in a program arranged in partnership with the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia & the Pacific (ADFIAP) and sponsored by Capacity Building International, Germany (INWENT).

FTSE4GOOD JAPAN LAUNCH
Responding to strong market demand, ASrIA member FTSE will launch the FTSE4Good Japan index on 21 September initially including more than 150 Japanese companies meeting the FTSE4Good criteria. FTSE expects investment products, based on the index, to be available following this launch.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND BUSINESS ETHICS PART OF MALAYSIA'S FIVE POINT INTEGRITY MASTER PLAN
Malaysian Prime Minister unveiled in April his master plan to make integrity the cornerstone of his administration. Appreciating the urgent need for change, the Malaysian premier introduced the National Integrity Plan to provide direction for all sectors to participate towards enhancing ethical values and integrity.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090986458

SURVEY OF JAPANESE CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTS REVEALS TRENDS
About 600 Japanese companies are said to have issued environmental reports. The General Press Corporation, a Japan for Sustainability corporate member and web content provi! der, iss ued a "Survey of Corporate Environmental Reports 2003" based on a study of 285 Japanese companies. This report reveals some of the trends in environmental reporting in Japan.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1088759019

JAPAN'S FIRST CARBON FUND TO BE LAUNCHED IN NOVEMBER 2004
Two government-affiliated financial institutions, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ), will establish Japan's first carbon fund in cooperation with the private sector this fall.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090382469

ECO-PAGES 2004 IS NOW AVAILABLE
ECO-PAGES 2004, the 1st bilingual directory of environmental contacts from all over the world, is now available for free. ECO-PAGES consists of over 7,500 environmental products and services providers from more than 140 countries.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090989685

AUSTRALIAN ETHICAL INVESTMENT ASSOCIATION (EIA) CONFERENCE, MELBOURNE, 14-15 OCTOBER
SRI QUANT is the leading SRI conference taking place in Australasia in 2004 featuring world renowned experts such as Dr Matthew Kiernan of Innovest and Dr Stephen Davis of GovernanceMetrics International who will demonstrate how to quantify the financial impact of corporate governance and environmental risk on portfolio return. Register today to meet Australasia's leading SRI practitioners. Early Bird expires Sept 15.
http://www.asria.org/news/events/1091070183

CONFERENCE DISCOUNT FOR ASrIA MEMBERS - CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CONFERENCE, HONG KONG, 14-15 OCTOBER
This Ethi! cal Corp oration event, covering a range of presentations and workshops, will debate and discuss the state of corporate responsibility in Asia. Speakers include from leading companies such as Nestle Philippines, HSBC, Nike, Tata Motors, GlaxoSmithKline, Timberland Asia, Shell Hong Kong, MTR Corporation, adidas-Salomon and many others.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090384642/

CHINA CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CONFERENCE, NEW YORK, 5-6 OCTOBER
Ethical Corporation's "How to Make Corporate Responsibility Work in China?" will have top brands and other key players including major NGOs discussing the complex demands of managing corporate responsibility policy and practice in China.
http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/article.cgi/2903.html

UPCOMING FORESTRY FINANCE EVENTS IN ASIA
Two conferences organized by forestry finance advocacy group, Forest Trends, will be held respectively in Beijing on 22-23 September and Kuala Lumpur on 7-8 October and will focus on issues pertaining forestry finance management in China and East Asia.
http://www.asria.org/news/events/1091077312/
http://www.asria.org/news/events/1091077767

IN THIS ISSUE:
ASIAN SRI NEWS AND ACTIVITIES
ASrIA Annual Conference in Singapore. A great success The case for SRI funds: Hong Kong investors fit the profile SRI in Hong Kong and SRI in Singapore - New reports published A comparison of investor views in different markets ASrIA and ADFIAP run workshop for Asian development bankers FTSE4Good Japan launch Corporate governance and business ethics part of Malaysia's five point Integrity Masterplan Survey of Japanese corporate environmental reports Japan's first carbon fund to be launched in November 2004 ECO-PAGES 2004 is now available Australian Ethical Investment Association (EIA) conference, Melbourne, 14-15 October Conference discount for ASrIA members - Corporate Responsibility conference, Hong Kong, 14-15 October China Corporate Responsibility conference, New York, 5-6 October Upcoming forestry finance events in Asia
GLOBAL SRI NEWS
London Stock Exchange to launch Corporate Responsibility Exchange Calvert, UNIFEM team up to launch "The Calvert Women's Principles" New investor guide on financial risks and opportunities from global warming New global rating challenges top 100 companies' accountability Corporate responsibility initiatives hit limits Creating a global alliance of investors ISO to go ahead with guidelines for social responsibility Co-operative Group charts progress HP's Global Citizenship approach Mainstream analysts take a look at sustainability issues 6th annual Social Accountability International Conference, New York, 18 October New tool for corporate sustainability management and reporting
	ASrIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN SINGAPORE. A GREAT SUCCESS ASrIA would like to thank our sponsors, speakers and delegates for making the Annual Conference in Singapore, June 15-16, a rousing success. The highlights of the Conference included the IFC's call for the private equity community to set social and environmental due diligence standards, in depth discussion of supply chain issues, new SRI fund performance data, and a close look at how investors and activists are approaching the deforestation issue. Please visit our eye-catching and comprehensive post-conference page at http://www.asria.org/events/singapore/july04/postconf/postconf for conference notes, speakers papers and lots of great photos. THE CASE FOR SRI FUNDS: HONG KONG INVESTORS FIT THE PROFILE A survey, jointly conducted by ASrIA and the University of Hong Kong's Corporate Environmental Governance Programme, shows a clear pattern of interest in sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) funds for Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF). http://www.asria.org/publications/#hksurvey SRI IN HONG KONG AND SRI IN SINGAPORE - NEW REPORTS PUBLISHED ASrIA has published two new reports in our series of reports on SRI in Asian markets - SRI in Hong Kong and SRI in Singapore. These reports are freely available on our website. http://www.asria.org/publications/#countryreport A COMPARISON OF INVESTOR VIEWS IN DIFFERENT MARKETS ASrIA initiated the translation into English of an important survey by Japan's Ministry of Environment. This study highl! ights si milarities and differences of SRI investors in different markets (the US, UK and Japan), demographically and regarding the priorities on a range of SRI criteria. The Survey will help investors understand attitudes toward a range of issues which support SRI markets in Japan and elsewhere. http://www.asria.org/publications/#japanmoe ASrIA AND ADFIAP RUN WORKSHOP FOR ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANKERS ASrIA recently led a very successful and intensive four-day workshop in Hong Kong on SRI for a group of senior Asian development bankers in a program arranged in partnership with the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia & the Pacific (ADFIAP) and sponsored by Capacity Building International, Germany (INWENT). FTSE4GOOD JAPAN LAUNCH Responding to strong market demand, ASrIA member FTSE will launch the FTSE4Good Japan index on 21 September initially including more than 150 Japanese companies meeting the FTSE4Good criteria. FTSE expects investment products, based on the index, to be available following this launch. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND BUSINESS ETHICS PART OF MALAYSIA'S FIVE POINT INTEGRITY MASTER PLAN Malaysian Prime Minister unveiled in April his master plan to make integrity the cornerstone of his administration. Appreciating the urgent need for change, the Malaysian premier introduced the National Integrity Plan to provide direction for all sectors to participate towards enhancing ethical values and integrity. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090986458 SURVEY OF JAPANESE CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTS REVEALS TRENDS About 600 Japanese companies are said to have issued environmental reports. The General Press Corporation, a Japan for Sustainability corporate member and web content provi! der, iss ued a "Survey of Corporate Environmental Reports 2003" based on a study of 285 Japanese companies. This report reveals some of the trends in environmental reporting in Japan. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1088759019 JAPAN'S FIRST CARBON FUND TO BE LAUNCHED IN NOVEMBER 2004 Two government-affiliated financial institutions, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ), will establish Japan's first carbon fund in cooperation with the private sector this fall. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090382469 ECO-PAGES 2004 IS NOW AVAILABLE ECO-PAGES 2004, the 1st bilingual directory of environmental contacts from all over the world, is now available for free. ECO-PAGES consists of over 7,500 environmental products and services providers from more than 140 countries. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090989685 AUSTRALIAN ETHICAL INVESTMENT ASSOCIATION (EIA) CONFERENCE, MELBOURNE, 14-15 OCTOBER SRI QUANT is the leading SRI conference taking place in Australasia in 2004 featuring world renowned experts such as Dr Matthew Kiernan of Innovest and Dr Stephen Davis of GovernanceMetrics International who will demonstrate how to quantify the financial impact of corporate governance and environmental risk on portfolio return. Register today to meet Australasia's leading SRI practitioners. Early Bird expires Sept 15. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1091070183 CONFERENCE DISCOUNT FOR ASrIA MEMBERS - CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CONFERENCE, HONG KONG, 14-15 OCTOBER This Ethi! cal Corp oration event, covering a range of presentations and workshops, will debate and discuss the state of corporate responsibility in Asia. Speakers include from leading companies such as Nestle Philippines, HSBC, Nike, Tata Motors, GlaxoSmithKline, Timberland Asia, Shell Hong Kong, MTR Corporation, adidas-Salomon and many others. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090384642/ CHINA CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CONFERENCE, NEW YORK, 5-6 OCTOBER Ethical Corporation's "How to Make Corporate Responsibility Work in China?" will have top brands and other key players including major NGOs discussing the complex demands of managing corporate responsibility policy and practice in China. http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/article.cgi/2903.html UPCOMING FORESTRY FINANCE EVENTS IN ASIA Two conferences organized by forestry finance advocacy group, Forest Trends, will be held respectively in Beijing on 22-23 September and Kuala Lumpur on 7-8 October and will focus on issues pertaining forestry finance management in China and East Asia. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1091077312/ http://www.asria.org/news/events/1091077767
	LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE TO LAUNCH CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY EXCHANGE The London Stock Exchange LSE) intends to launch the Corporate Responsibility Exchange (CRE), in September. This new on-line service will allow listed companies to efficiently port corporate social responsibility and corporate governance information thus eliminating the need for onerous multiple questionnaires. The CRE arose from a working party comprising the LSE and UK Social Investment Forum (UKSIF). http://www.asria.org/news/press/1092713794 CALVERT, UNIFEM TEAM UP TO LAUNCH "THE CALVERT WOMEN'S PRINCIPLES" ASrIA member, Calvert, in partnership with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), recently launched The Calvert Women's Principles - a new corporate responsibility code of conduct focusing on gender equality and women's empowerment. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1087959600 , also see related article at http://www.asria.org/news/press/1089086564 NEW INVESTOR GUIDE ON FINANCIAL RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES FROM GLOBAL WARMING The Investor Guide to Climate Risk, a new on-line guide released by US-based Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES), addresses the financial risks and investment opportunities posed by global warming. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1093943080/ NEW GLOBAL R! ATING CH ALLENGES TOP 100 COMPANIES' ACCOUNTABILITY Accountability has launched the first global index, The Accountability Rating® which evaluates how well the world's 100 largest companies account for their impacts on society and the environment. This topical index is released at a decisive time as trust in big business continues to be eroded by corporate scandals. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090990982 CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVES HIT LIMITS Gearing Up, a new SustainAbility report released in June concludes that despite achieving impressive momentum, the corporate responsibility movement is bumping up against real limits and only scratching the surface of major global problems like climate change and HIV/AIDS. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1088052375 CREATING A GLOBAL ALLIANCE OF INVESTORS United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will work with major institutional investors to develop a set of globally recognised principles for responsible investment by September 2005. The new principles will protect both the planet and long-term shareholder value by integrating environmental, social and governance concerns into investor and capital market considerations. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090383159 ISO TO GO AHEAD WITH GUIDELINES FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ISO is to develop an International Standard for social responsibility. The objective is to produce "a guidance document, written in plain language which is understandable and usable by non-specialists" and not intended for use in certifi! cation. http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/article.cgi/2852.html CO-OPERATIVE GROUP CHARTS PROGRESS The Co-operative Group, parent company of ASrIA member Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS), recently released its 2003 corporate responsibility report which detailed the achievements of all the Group's businesses during the past year, as well as highlighted their increased use of green energy and generous community contributions. CIS together with its sister organization, the Co-operative Bank, have also issued a sustainability report http://www.asria.org/news/press/1091514328 http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090986189 HP 2004 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP APPROACH ASrIA member, Hewlett Packard recently released its 2004 Global Citizen Report charting the company's progress over the last year its objectives to integrate their citizenship efforts into core business practices. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1091414251 MAINSTREAM ANALYSTS TAKE A LOOK AT SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES IN UN REPORT A United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative report presents work by 11 mainstream brokerage houses to assess the materiality of corporate social responsibility issues. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090998059 6th ANNUAL SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY INTERNATIONAL (SAI) CONFERENCE, NEW YORK, 18 OCTOBER SAI's 6th annual conference themed "Corporate Social Responsibility and Workplace Standards: Responsible Strategies for Global Sourcing" will bring together key stakeholders including buying companies, supplier companies, trade unions, government, investors, and human rights organizations to talk practical approaches to managing social accountability in the supply chain. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1093000201 NEW TOOL FOR CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING NOW AVAILABLE Two Finnish multinationals have begun using new software to manage and report on their sustainability performance. Finnforest, which is one of Europe's biggest wood products groups, and the manufacturer Wartsila Corporation are both now using the EnQ CSM software to gather, consolidate and report their non-financial data. An online demonstration of the software is available. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1090990556
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