The “Dialogue with Companies” covers the issues faced during the 2015 engagement with 27 Italian and foreign companies with whom Etica Sgr actively dialogues on behalf of the 100,000 subscribers of the “Valori Responsabili” funds.
The sensitivity of investors has changed and the focus is increasingly on non-financial impacts of investments to create long-term value for the economy and society as a whole. Etica Sgr has always been committed to shareholders engagement aimed at establishing a structured dialogue with management of the companies the funds invest in, so that environmental, social and governance aspects related to company activities are monitored and improved.
During 2015, in addition to continuing with issues faced in previous years – such as social-environmental reporting, top management remuneration and protection of human rights along the supply chain – engagement activities focused on interventions related to “food” and “climate change” issues, i.e. the subjects of the EXPO Milan 2015, asking for the adoption of practices concerning:
- the protection of labour rights along the supply chain in the agricultural industry;
- the substitution of palm oil from food recipes;
- the application of a more transparent communication in terms of GMOs and pesticides;
- the traceability of ingredients along the supply chain;
- the definition of quantitative CO2 reduction targets;
- the commitment to measure the company’s carbon footprint;
- the reduction of water consumption in industrial production.
The continuous and positive dialogue with companies has made it possible to achieve various results: some companies prepared their first sustainability report, others introduced socio-environmental assessments in the supplier selection process, and other still adopted corporate social responsibility initiatives.
