SAN FRANCISCO (September 12, 2018) – Glass Lewis, the leading independent provider of global governance and engagement support services, today announced that guidance on material ESG topics from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) will be integrated into its Proxy Paper research reports and vote management application, Viewpoint.
SASB develops and maintains sustainability accounting standards—for 79 industries in 11 sectors—that help companies disclose financially material information to investors in a cost-effective and decision-useful format. SASB’s transparent, inclusive, and rigorous standards-setting process is materiality focused, evidence-based and market-informed.
As a SASB Alliance Organizational Member since mid-2017 Glass Lewis is familiar with the value provided by SASB’s industry-specific standards, and has now been granted the right to display this content directly within its standard proxy research as well as its vote management platform. As such, users of Glass Lewis’ services will be able to easily identify whether items are aligned with the SASB standards, helping inform the clients’ proxy voting and engagement activities.
“Many of our clients have adopted SASB standards as a mechanism to better understand the most pressing environmental and social factors for the companies in their portfolio,” said Courteney Keatinge, Glass Lewis’ Director of ESG Research. “Incorporating that information directly within our analysis and software will provide useful context in a timely manner.”
SASB’s information will be incorporated into Glass Lewis’ products in advance of the 2019 season after the SASB standards are codified, and available for thousands of companies across Glass Lewis’ global coverage universe.
“Working with Glass Lewis is a great way to advance the conversations companies and investors around the world are having about financially material sustainability information,” said Nicolai Lundy, SASB’s Director of Education and Partnerships. “SASB standards are designed to empower investors to make more informed investment and voting decisions and by incorporating into Glass Lewis’s services, we’re looking forward to making it even easier for investors to consider SASB topics when voting their proxies.”
About Glass Lewis
Glass Lewis is the leading independent provider of global governance services, helping institutional investors understand and connect with the companies they invest in. We are a trusted ally of more than 1,300 institutional clients globally that use our high-quality, unbiased Proxy Paper research, industry-leading Viewpoint proxy vote management solution, and innovative Meetyl direct-engagement platform to help drive value across all their governance activities. Glass Lewis empowers institutional investors that collectively manage more than $35 trillion to make sound voting decisions at more than 20,000 meetings a year in 100 countries by uncovering and assessing governance, business, legal, political and accounting risks. Founded in 2003, Glass Lewis has more than 360 employees worldwide across offices from headquarters in San Francisco to New York, Washington D.C., Sydney, Australia, Limerick, Ireland, and Karlsruhe, Germany. More information available at www.glasslewis.com.
About SASB
Established in 2011, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) is an independent nonprofit organization that develops and maintains robust reporting standards that enable businesses around the world to identify, manage and communicate financially-material sustainability information to their investors.