Slow progress for fast food, reveals investor engagement on meat sourcing
Phase two of a global investor engagement, facilitated by FAIRR and Ceres, launches today with six of the world’s largest fast-food companies. One year on from the engagement’s launch, we are releasing a report detailing progress made by the companies and starting the second phase of dialogue. Findings reveal that fast-food giants have yet to establish requirements on climate change mitigation and water usage within their meat and dairy supply chains. Only two have science-based targets in place and just one has conducted a water risk assessment for its suppliers. The investor coalition will now write to each company with specific requests, formulated in view of their current strategies. View the progress report >
New initiative announced at World Economic Forum mobilises investors in the fight against antimicrobial resistance
A coalition consisting of FAIRR, PRI, the Access to Medicine Foundation and the UK Department of Health and Social Care has launched the Investor Year of Action on AMR, an initiative to galvanise investors to tackle the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 2020. During this year-long initiative, investors will be encouraged to assess and integrate risks, opportunities and impacts through an ‘AMR lens’, i.e. considering antimicrobial resistance when making decisions and engaging with investees. Keep updated here >
Aquaculture industry grappling with risks posed from warming oceans
Rising temperatures on land continue to create a myriad of risks for investors but warming ocean temperatures are also posing an ever-greater risk for the salmon aquaculture sector. When sea temperatures exceed the narrow temperature range to which salmon are accustomed, it can lead to mass stock die-offs. Mowi’s Canadian subsidiary, Northern Harvest Sea Farms, lost 2.6 million salmon (half its stock in the region) due to high water temperatures, with the die-off causing extensive environmental pollution. As highlighted by the members’ version of FAIRR’s ‘Shallow Returns?’ report, regulatory change looms and this presents yet another risk on the horizon for the aquaculture industry. In our recent blog, Faazi Adam, Research Manager at FAIRR, dives into the choppy waters facing the aquaculture industry and looks at how it will fare amid rising sea temperatures.
Seeking success in the plant-based protein market
We’ve seen restaurant chains, supermarkets, brand manufacturers and even die-hard meat producers all launching plant-based products to bring in consumers and drive sales. But consumers are fickle creatures – so how can companies riding the plant-based wave keep the momentum and transform curiosity into brand loyalty and long-term returns? Jo Raven, Engagement Manager, explains further.
Investor support soars for engagements
We are thrilled to announce that investor support for two of FAIRR’s collaborative engagements has more than doubled since this time last year. Our sustainable proteins engagement, which is asking 25 global food companies to diversify their protein sources, is now backed by an investor coalition representing more than $10.8 trillion in combined assets, a twofold increase on the $5.3 trillion investor coalition that supported the engagement last year. The second phase of FAIRR and Ceres’ meat sourcing engagement has nearly doubled from the first phase, from $6.5 trillion to $11.6 trillion in combined assets. Join FAIRR >
Annual investor survey helps us help you
Last October, we sent out our annual investor survey and we now have the results. Across 20 countries, 119 institutional investors told us what they liked, how we help and what they would like to see more of in 2020.
According to our respondents, the main ways in which FAIRR helps investors are through company engagement, thematic sector research and assessing and screening out companies. Respondents also told us that they tend to use our tools for more qualitative than quantitative work, and more readily for company engagements than fundamental analysis.
To build on the feedback received, we plan to publish more work on financial materiality and the quantifiable relationship between ESG risks and opportunities on a regional, sectoral and company level. Thank you again to all those who provided feedback, helping us to improve the service we provide to our members.