PRIZMA

Water use intensity (and quality) is critical to the extractive sector. Do we need better reporting metrics or should we look at water offsets to make a real difference? (more...)

The Equator Principles, the de facto environmental and social benchmark used in project finance, will undergo a strategic review. Will this help with further mainstreaming or shifting financing more radically into other directions? (more...)

Since end of July 2010, 29 sustainability reports were added to list of GRI-type reports for USA and Canada (contains sector, application level/type and links) taking the total from 56 to now 87 reports. (more...)

 The Equator Principles Financial Institutions have recently adopted new Governance Rules to create a  membership structure - Equator Principles Association - and formalize existing procedures and practices. The Rules introduce delisting provisions for members not meeting public reporting requirements. (more...)

IFC launched a second round of public consultation to update the IFC Performance Standards (2006), which provide also the basis for the Equator Principles. In mid June 2010, the first meeting was held in Washington DC. It attracted over 5o participants from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and industry.What are the emerging themes? (more...)

While some may still be wondering how long they can get away without reporting, others see this as an opportunity to leverage sunk costs, impress investors and drive performance improvement. All first time reporters will be wondering about one thing: what is the length of that proverbial string? What are cost drivers of inaugural sustainability reporting? (more...)

As noted in an earlier blog, GRI launched its Metals and Mining Sector Supplement during PDAC’s 78^th Annual Conference held in early March in Toronto which attracted 21,600 attendees. So how and why did PDAC manage to steal the show at GRI’s June conference session on the Mining and Metals Sector Supplement? (more...)

 Jointly with GRI, the International Finance Corporation (IFC, part of the World Bank Group) published a bridging document showing how strategies, system and data points developed to meet IFC Performance Standards can be used to generate GRI-type sustainability reports. About time to help capital project developers/sponsors to leverage expensive compliance reporting to create more shareholder value! (more...)

Inaugural sustainability reports, even if they don’t hit all the right notes, empower internal champions and create opportunities for better stakeholder engagement and transparency, and can help drive  performance improvements. But are you not intrigued to find out what catalyzed and motivated Perenco, an independent oil and gas company operating in places like Gabon, DR Congo, Peru and Guatemala, to create its first CSR report? Is it perhaps related to the recent creation of a $2.8bn reserve-based lending involving Equator Banks, which will also assist with completion of a controversial oil pipeline in Peru’s rainforests? (more...)

It did not require the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to realize that oil and gas field developments are high risk operations. Similar to the Mexican Ixtoc One oil platform spill in 1979, which affected Texas coast lines, the on-going spill has the potential to result in significant trans-boundary impacts.  Will this latest spill encourage the three North American governments to re-open stalled negotiations on a Trans-boundary EIA agreement? (more...)