How Do Companies Monitor Stakeholder Grievances?

While responsible business conduct has long been a focus for activists, special interest groups and the socially responsible investment movement, in recent years, more stakeholders are recognizing the importance of global norms for responsible business conduct to prevent and mitigate adverse impact. Governments around the world are demanding more comprehensive disclosures from companies and their […]

How Do Companies Monitor Stakeholder Grievances?
Posted by Subodh Mishra, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., on Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Editor's Note:

Subodh Mishra is Global Head of Communications at ISS STOXX. This post is based on an ISS-Corporate memorandum by Elias Siebert.

While responsible business conduct has long been a focus for activists, special interest groups and the socially responsible investment movement, in recent years, more stakeholders are recognizing the importance of global norms for responsible business conduct to prevent and mitigate adverse impact. Governments around the world are demanding more comprehensive disclosures from companies and their investors, creating a feedback loop that increases the focus on these topics.

Monitoring the implementation of responsible business conduct standards across a company’s own operations and along the value chain can prove difficult. For the past several decades, corporate sustainability has been shaped by a variety of global standard-setting initiatives. Many voluntary frameworks are now being incorporated into regulation at the national or regional level. Legal frameworks largely focus on disclosure, yet a growing number of regulatory initiatives also introduce sustainability due diligence obligations.

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