Moscow Exchange’s ESG-Guide now contains the section from WWF-Russia
The updated guide was presented on January 19. The new chapter has been prepared by the WWF-Russia. It defines what biodiversity and ecosystems are, explains how they connected with well-being of people. It also systematizes and describes the types and kinds of projects that help to conserve rare species of animals and plants, and provides seven specific steps for those who decide to develop and implement such a program in their company.
“There is an annual global risk assessment report issued before the World Economic Forum, and over the past few years, biodiversity loss has consistently ranked in the top five. This suggests that conservation of nature and investment in natural capital have moved from the sphere of charity to the area of financial results and risk management, - comments Mikhail Babenko, Advisor on Sustainable Development at WWF-Russia. - It is extremely important to spread the word on how much we all depend on biodiversity, and why investing in natural capital is exactly an investment and reducing future risks. At the same time, the size of the company, in fact, does not matter: any business can find new opportunities for itself.”
They say at WWF-Russia, that the attention of the Moscow Exchange to the issues of sustainable development is an important contribution to the prosperous future of our country, which is impossible without a favorable environment.
"Investors and regulators now expect issuers to disclose ESG strategy and sustainability risk management alongside financial statements. Companies, in turn, see an additional growth driver for their own business in integrating ESG principles and reporting on their efforts in this area, - says Natalia Loginova, Director of Issuer Relations at Moscow Exchange. - Our task as the Russian financial infrastructure is to promote market transparency and help participants to apply best disclosure practices. We have therefore decided to update our guide with new information. We recommend the guide as a handbook for companies that plan to expand the application of sustainability principles in their business, while increasing their transparency to investors and counterparties."
Besides the chapter from WWF there are new sections covering such areas as sustainable banking, ESG-rankings, sustainable chain of custody, disclosure reports.
The updated material from the Moscow Exchange "Issuer's guide: how to comply with the best practices of sustainable development" is free and available at: https://fs.moex.com/f/16010/mosbirzha-esg-rus-book-1012.pdf