Values Most Valued: New report shows shift in corporate values cited by large companies worldwide signalling an enhanced sense of social responsibility
New report shows shift in corporate values cited by large companies worldwide as they signal an enhanced sense of social responsibility.
- The /amo global survey reviews corporate values of 525 listed companies across 22 markets.
- Values related to people & communities top the ranking, up 11% from last year.
- Integrity remains the single most frequent value, cited by 27.8% of companies.
A new annual survey of corporate values around the world, the first of its kind, shows that companies are significantly more keen to display their concern for people and their communities than before the Covid pandemic hit last year.
The “Values Most Valued” survey, published today by the /amo network, a leading global organization of strategic communications advisors, compares how corporate values have evolved over the last year by examining annual reports and websites of 525 listed companies in 22 markets.
To carry out its global review of corporate values, /amo asked its consultants to closely examine annual reports published last year and this year by the largest listed companies in 22 markets. The resulting study turned up a total of almost 2,300 individual corporate values cited in all, an average of 4.3 values per company. These numerous individual values were then classified into a smaller number of broad categories to allow a more meaningful analysis of the results.
The most ambitious climate package in the EU’s history
Following the adoption of the EU Climate Law in June, the European Union’s greenhouse gas emission target was increased from 40% to 55% (compared with 1990 levels). The EU Climate Law takes the form of an emissions reduction target, making the new target directly binding in every EU Member State and is intended to help ensure that Europe becomes the first climate neutral continent by 2050.
With a higher target also comes the need to revise different pieces of sectoral climate legislation needed to reach the target for 55%, something that the European Commission began preparing soon after the European Green Deal was unveiled back in 2019. The ‘Fit for 55’ package, the most ambitious package of climate policy revisions in the EU’s history, will have far reaching impacts across a range of energy intensive industries, such as cement, steel, aluminium and chemicals.
With the Commission’s own estimates putting 25% of the EU’s energy consumption down to industry, proposed changes such as a strengthened Emissions Trading System and a revised Renewable Energy Directive will have far-reaching impacts for energy-intensive sectors.
Cicero/amo has prepared an overview of the strategy, highlighting key upcoming actions relevant for the majority of financial market participants.
Click here or scroll down to access Cicero/amo’s overview of the EU’s latest sustainable finance strategy.
| With the EU’s ambition to accelerate the energy transition, the ‘Fit for 55’ Package will be rolled out on 14 July, reviewing essential pieces of energy legislation to be able to achieve a 55% emission reduction by 2030. As the legislative package will amongst others introduce additional incentives to decarbonise road transport, we have prepared an overview of legislative initiatives that will impact the automotive sector most, including revisions of the CO2 emission standards, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive and the Renewable Energy Directive. I do hope you find this to be insightful and we would be happy to discuss further with you. Click here or scroll down to access our overview of changes to expect within the automotive sector. |
Corporate accountability, referring to a publicly traded company’s performance in non-financial areas such as social responsibility and sustainability, is falling under the EU legislative spotlight. Now that the energy transition in the EU is gaining momentum, companies will have to do their part to become climate neutral, while avoiding so-called ‘greenwashing’.
In this context, the European Commission has been working to clarify what ‘sustainable’ is in the world of business and requiring companies to become more transparent about their environmental footprint.
We have prepared an overview highlighting how the scope of corporate accountability is being broadened in the EU and how this will result in more reporting, monitoring and transparency obligations. I do hope you find this to be insightful and we would be happy to discuss further with you.
Click here or scroll down to access our overview of Sustainable Corporate Accountability in the EU.
Just as the policy successes after 1945 shaped the twentieth century, so the collective policy failures after the 2009 global financial crisis shape the world today. Now, 12 years on, the global pandemic represents ‘another’ 1-in-100-year event. Yet again, we are faced with a global opportunity to reset. Whether we seize the opportunity, like 1945, or squander it, like 2009, remains to be seen. We are, however, faced with two important questions: what world do we want to create, and will we be brave enough to prevent this opportunity from slipping through our fingers?
This report aims to shed some light on the first question. Based on a global survey of 12,521 households across 26 countries, our research was conducted in the wake of the COVID pandemic and seeks to shed light on how the pandemic has potentially shifted public attitudes towards some of the key issues of our times including the spread of digital technology and existential threat of man-made climate change. It will ultimately be for the politicians and policymakers to determine the second question.
Click here to access Cicero/amo’s research report
Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss this report further or to find out how Cicero/amo can support your organisation.
