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1. ASrIA BRIEF, ASIAN FUNDS: OUTLOOK FOR ASIAN MARKETS AND SRI
Two key points for SRI fund providers emerged from the Investment Company Institute's recent Hong Kong conference on Asian funds. First, SRI funds are gaining market share in markets where they attract new, non-traditional investor groups. Japan is the market to watch. Second, fund providers and regulators are struggling to find tools for investor education which will give Asia's millions of savers the tools that they need to be responsible investors. This brief is presently available for ASrIA Members only.
http://www.asria.org/publications/#asianfund

2. SRI INDEXES LAUNCHED IN AUSTRALIA AND ISRAEL
ASrIA member, SAM has launched an SRI index in Australia. Reputex has also announced plans to publish an Australian country specific SRI index later in the year. The Tel Aviv-MAALA Index for Social Responsibility will also be published by the Israeli Stock Exchange for the first time in February.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1108609144
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1109040794

3. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) ACCOUNTING GUIDELINES PUBLISHED
The Reitaku University Business Ethics and Compliance Research Center (R-BEC) has released the R-BEC004 CSR Accounting Guidelines, designed to serve as a framework to quantitatively measure and evaluate corporations' socially responsible initiatives.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1104807531

4. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY RATING: IT/COMPUTERS, PERIPHERALS & OFFICE ELECTRONICS
The Japanese companies Ricoh and Toshiba got the highest ratings when Oekom Research evaluated the world's 13 major producers of computers, peripherals and office electronics against 200 environmental and social indicators.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1107401133

5. STOCK AT STAKE SERVICES TO ALAMCO EXTENDED
ASrIA member, Stock at Stake successfully completed the second year of research for Asahi Life Asset Management (ALAMCO). ALAMCO manage a social issues focused SRI mutual fund in Japan.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1106717099

6. SOMPO JAPAN INSURANCE INC. RELEASES CSR REPORT TAILORED TO OVERSEAS READERS
This year's report, unlike the previous reports that were merely a translated version of the Japanese edition, was produced as an independent publication with more readers outside of Japan in mind.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1105697500

7. NETWORK TO BE LAUNCHED TO PROMOTE NGO- PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS
A Network backed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to bring together non-government organizations (NGOs) and the private sector from across Asia and the Pacific was formally launched on 16 February in Bangkok to promote sustainable development.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1108720522

8. 3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
21-23 February, Rajasthan, India. The third conference in this series will be organised jointly by Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, India and London Metropolitan University, UK and hosted by Mohan Lal Sukhadia University. Numerous academic papers will be presented.
http://www.asria.org/news/events/1108611549

9. AL GORE TO SPEAK AT ASIAN BANKER SUMMIT 2005
15-17 March, Singapore. ASrIA is an official endorser of The Asian Banker Summit 2005 which will host three parallel conferences this year, of which one is focused on corporate governance and risk management. Al Gore, a joint founder of Generation Management, a sustainable investment oriented fund, will be giving a key note speech.
http://www.asria.org/news/events/1109042340

10. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY - WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS
9-10 March 2005, Sydney, Australia. Ethical Corporation CSR conference. Ethical Corporation brings their International event series to Australia, with a mix of international perspectives and national focus.
http://www.asria.org/news/events/1108611814

11. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY IN CHINA
27-28 April, London, UK. Ethical Corporation's conference will provide a better awareness of the unique legal and cultural challenges involved in operating responsibly in China.
http://www.asria.org/news/events/1103257139

EDITORIAL:
The headline grabbing news for this month has been the coming into force of the Kyoto Protocols after a long gestation period. However in terms of SRI and business ethics there have been several other notable news items, in particular the launch of a new SRI index in Australia, by ASrIA member SAM, with a second index to follow later in the year, and the launch of an Israeli SRI Index (see news item Asian News 2), the publication of corporate accountability guidelines in Japan (Asian News 3) and of updated SA8000 guidelines (Global New 6). Plenty of interesting and thought-provoking reports were published over the new year period. A couple of key reports were released by ASrIA member Business for Social Responsibility (Global News 9 & 11). However we have listed a number of other important reports, and recommend a solid dose of spring-time reading. Lastly, ASrIA has published a Brief, 'Asian Funds: Outlook for Asian Markets and SRI' (Asian News 1) reflecting on key points for SRI fund providers that emerged from the Investment Company Institute's recent conference in Hong Kong on Asian funds.
IN THIS ISSUE:
ASIAN SRI NEWS AND ACTIVITIES
ASrIA brief, Asian Funds: Outlook for Asian Markets and SRI SRI indexes launched in Australia and Israel Corporate social responsibility (CSR) accounting guidelines published Corporate responsibility rating: IT/computers, peripherals & office electronics Stock At Stake services to Alamco extended Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. releases CSR report tailored to overseas readers Network to be launched to promote NGO-private sector partnerships 3rd international conference on corporate social responsibility, Rajasthan, India Al Gore to speak at Asian Banker Summit 2005 Corporate responsibility - why it is important for Australian business Corporate responsibility in China
GLOBAL SRI NEWS
2004 US socially responsible investment fund performance Ethibel sets new benchmark for sustainable investment following launch of second quality label Two socially responsible investment exchange traded funds launch in US Equator banks critiqued by NGOs IFC and ACCION promote commercial banks' investment in microfinance Social Accountability International (SAI) releases second edition of the guidance document for SA8000 Business for Social Responsibility's clean cargo initiative Institutional investors failing pension policy holders says new WEF/ Accountability report Survey of business and NGO leaders reveals deficits & opportunities for the integration and communication of CSR Consumers respond to brands associated with social issues Report finds bank sector assessment of impact on disadvantaged communities lacking List of global 100 most sustainable companies published New study finds link between financial success and focus on corporate values Global reporting initiative (GRI) conducts its own GRI report Will corporations really help the world's poor? Challenges of water scarcity: a business case study for financial institutions World Economic Forum report finds decreasing corporate awareness and response to AIDs 50 percent more CEOs report on corporate social responsibilities in 2004 The "Sustainability Congress", Germany The European marketplace for CSR Intertek 5th annual corporate social responsibility conference Corporate social responsibility 2005, tackling global challenges Jobs in SRI
	ASIAN SRI NEWS AND ACTIVITIES
	1. ASrIA BRIEF, ASIAN FUNDS: OUTLOOK FOR ASIAN MARKETS AND SRI Two key points for SRI fund providers emerged from the Investment Company Institute's recent Hong Kong conference on Asian funds. First, SRI funds are gaining market share in markets where they attract new, non-traditional investor groups. Japan is the market to watch. Second, fund providers and regulators are struggling to find tools for investor education which will give Asia's millions of savers the tools that they need to be responsible investors. This brief is presently available for ASrIA Members only. http://www.asria.org/publications/#asianfund 2. SRI INDEXES LAUNCHED IN AUSTRALIA AND ISRAEL ASrIA member, SAM has launched an SRI index in Australia. Reputex has also announced plans to publish an Australian country specific SRI index later in the year. The Tel Aviv-MAALA Index for Social Responsibility will also be published by the Israeli Stock Exchange for the first time in February. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1108609144 http://www.asria.org/news/press/1109040794 3. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) ACCOUNTING GUIDELINES PUBLISHED The Reitaku University Business Ethics and Compliance Research Center (R-BEC) has released the R-BEC004 CSR Accounting Guidelines, designed to serve as a framework to quantitatively measure and evaluate corporations' socially responsible initiatives. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1104807531 4. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY RATING: IT/COMPUTERS, PERIPHERALS & OFFICE ELECTRONICS The Japanese companies Ricoh and Toshiba got the highest ratings when Oekom Research evaluated the world's 13 major producers of computers, peripherals and office electronics against 200 environmental and social indicators. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1107401133 5. STOCK AT STAKE SERVICES TO ALAMCO EXTENDED ASrIA member, Stock at Stake successfully completed the second year of research for Asahi Life Asset Management (ALAMCO). ALAMCO manage a social issues focused SRI mutual fund in Japan. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1106717099 6. SOMPO JAPAN INSURANCE INC. RELEASES CSR REPORT TAILORED TO OVERSEAS READERS This year's report, unlike the previous reports that were merely a translated version of the Japanese edition, was produced as an independent publication with more readers outside of Japan in mind. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1105697500 7. NETWORK TO BE LAUNCHED TO PROMOTE NGO- PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS A Network backed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to bring together non-government organizations (NGOs) and the private sector from across Asia and the Pacific was formally launched on 16 February in Bangkok to promote sustainable development. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1108720522 8. 3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 21-23 February, Rajasthan, India. The third conference in this series will be organised jointly by Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, India and London Metropolitan University, UK and hosted by Mohan Lal Sukhadia University. Numerous academic papers will be presented. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1108611549 9. AL GORE TO SPEAK AT ASIAN BANKER SUMMIT 2005 15-17 March, Singapore. ASrIA is an official endorser of The Asian Banker Summit 2005 which will host three parallel conferences this year, of which one is focused on corporate governance and risk management. Al Gore, a joint founder of Generation Management, a sustainable investment oriented fund, will be giving a key note speech. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1109042340 10. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY - WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS 9-10 March 2005, Sydney, Australia. Ethical Corporation CSR conference. Ethical Corporation brings their International event series to Australia, with a mix of international perspectives and national focus. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1108611814 11. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY IN CHINA 27-28 April, London, UK. Ethical Corporation's conference will provide a better awareness of the unique legal and cultural challenges involved in operating responsibly in China. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1103257139
	GLOBAL SRI NEWS
	1. 2004 US SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT FUND PERFORMANCE Of the broadly-screened SRI mutual funds tracked by SocialFunds.com, two earned over 20 percent returns, and six others joined them in outperforming more than 80 percent of their SRI and non-SRI peer funds. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1105949243 2. ETHIBEL SETS NEW BENCHMARK FOR SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT FOLLOWING LAUNCH OF SECOND QUALITY LABEL Responding to the growing demand Ethibel has launched its second index - the Ethibel Excellence Index. Ethibel indexes comply with the same strict social and ethical quality standards that are applied to retail investment funds carrying the established Ethibel quality label. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1107499238 3. TWO SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS LAUNCH IN US Socially responsible investment is commencing the new year by moving into a new arena: exchange traded funds (ETFs), which resemble mutual funds by bundling securities but differ by allowing trades all day to exploit market flux. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1107761506 4. EQUATOR BANKS CRITIQUED BY NGOS Eighteen months ago a group of leading project finance banks adopted the Equator Principles. They are now under attack from critics who claim the banks were more interested in profits and PR than in principles. This interesting article describes how the finance community, corporates and NGOs need much more education in order to better understand each others perspectives. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1108357152 5. IFC AND ACCION PROMOTE COMMERCIAL BANKS' INVESTMENT IN MICROFINANCE The International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, and ACCION International, a nonprofit organization and world pioneer in microfinance, are supporting the UN Year of Microcredit by funding a new initiative that will help commercial banks around the world offer financial services to the working poor. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1108356951 6. SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY INTERNATIONAL (SAI) RELEASES SECOND EDITION OF THE GUIDANCE DOCUMENT FOR SA8000 SAI is now taking orders for the Second Edition of the Guidance Document for Social Accountability 8000 (SA8000), finalized in December 2004. The Guidance Document is both a field guide for auditors and a teaching tool for managers and workers. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1106714408 7. BUSINESS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY'S CLEAN CARGO INITIATIVE Business for Social Responsibility's Clean Cargo Working Group has just published a Guidance Appendix to its Environmental Performance Survey (EPS). The Clean Cargo EPS is a standard environmental reporting tool for ocean transport. http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/article.cgi/3434.html 8. INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS FAILING PENSION POLICY HOLDERS SAYS NEW WEF/ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT A new report entitled "Mainstreaming Responsible Investment" released by AccountAbility, and the World Economic Forum offers comprehensive and incisive insights into the failure of the financial community to meet the needs of the real owners of capital through its unwillingness and inability to consider social and environmental factors in investment decisions. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1105584217 9. SURVEY OF BUSINESS AND NGO LEADERS REVEALS DEFICITS & OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE INTEGRATION AND COMMUNICATION OF CSR Business for Social Responsibility in conjunction with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, released the results of their recent survey entitled 'Taking the Temperature of CSR Leaders,' which covers themes ranging from the competitive advantages of implementing CSR, to the impact of governments and markets on company integration of CSR. http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/article.cgi/3399.html 10. CONSUMERS RESPOND TO BRANDS ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL ISSUES According to Business in the Community's latest research on Cause Related Marketing entitled Brand Benefits (2003/04) there is clear evidence that consumers are influenced by marketing strategies connected to charities and causes. http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/article.cgi/3494.html 11. REPORT FINDS BANK SECTOR ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT ON DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES LACKING AccountAbility and Business for Social Responsibility report on how banks strategize, assess, and disclose their economic impact on disadvantaged communities. As the report points out, the Equator Principles broke new ground for signatory banks to voluntarily assess the social and environmental impacts of project financing, but disclosure of the findings from such assessments has not been forthcoming. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1104998174 12. LIST OF GLOBAL 100 MOST SUSTAINABLE COMPANIES PUBLISHED A list of the "Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World" was unveiled at the World Economic Forum. The list constitutes the 100 companies with the highest Intangible Values Assessment (IVA) scores from Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, a socially responsible investment research firm. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1107761861 13. NEW STUDY FINDS LINK BETWEEN FINANCIAL SUCCESS AND FOCUS ON CORPORATE VALUES A new study by the Aspen Institute and Booz Allen Hamilton found that companies routinely identify values as a top agenda issue and public companies that report superior financial results also report greater success in linking values to operations in areas that foster growth, such as initiative and innovativeness. However, most corporate executives do not see a direct link to growth, and the joint study also revealed that most companies are not effectively measuring their "Return on Values" in areas important to their business strategy. http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/article.cgi/3511.html 14. GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) CONDUCTS ITS OWN GRI REPORT GRI has launched its first sustainability report, produced using its own reporting guidelines. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1107494355 15. WILL CORPORATIONS REALLY HELP THE WORLD'S POOR? Lifeworth Annual Review of 2004 examines corporate contributions to poverty reduction, and maps out future agenda for corporate social responsibility. Many key business leaders now see poorer regions of the world as places they can do business with while helping the local populations. http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/article.cgi/3483.html 16. CHALLENGES OF WATER SCARCITY: A BUSINESS CASE STUDY FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS UNEP FI and the Stockholm International Water Institute have released the results of a joint project on water-related challenges for financial institutions which highlights the issues that arise from dealing with water scarcity and identifies opportunities for the financial sector for contributing to sustainable development through active engagement in mitigating water related risks. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1106710934 17. WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM REPORT FINDS DECREASING CORPORATE AWARENESS AND RESPONSE TO AIDS According to a report released by the Global Health Initiative (GHI) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and UNAIDS, there is decreasing awareness and response to HIV/AIDS by companies compared to last year's report. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1106553478 18. 50 PERCENT MORE CEOs REPORT ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN 2004 An annual survey of 100 of the S&P500 companies by andBEYOND Communications shows more CEOs described CSR activities in letters to shareholders in annual reports in 2004. In 2004, 42 percent of CEOs reported on corporate social responsibilities up from 28 percent in 2003." http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/article.cgi/3335.html 19. THE "SUSTAINABILITY CONGRESS", GERMANY 1-2 March, Bonn. The German Sustainable Investment Forum organises together with several partners a major conference on sustainable investment. The conference will be the central event for SRI in Germany. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1103511900 20. THE EUROPEAN MARKETPLACE FOR CSR 3-4 March 2005, Brussels. In celebration of CSR Europe's 10th anniversary. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1108612442 21. INTERTEK 5TH ANNUAL CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CONFERENCE 10-11 March, New York, United States. ''Partnering for Progress, Sharing Ideas and Best Practices: Implementing CSR in Global Supply Chains''. The conference provides an intimate forum for CSR leaders to gain insight and understanding and interact with peers from a wide range of sectors. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1105698803 22. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 2005, TACKLING GLOBAL CHALLENGES 17-18 March 2005, Chatham House, London. This conference will examine the new business models for the responsible company and the latest means of monitoring the progress of corporate responsibility policies. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1108613715 23. JOBS IN SRI ASrIA received notices of a number of SRI related jobs this last month, in particular a recruitment campaign by EIRIS in New York and Japan. See our jobs page: http://www.asria.org/jobs/position/1108371741
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	ASrIA E-Bulletin February 22, 2005 The Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia