Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles provide trustees with a framework to consider the impacts of their decisions in helpful ways.
By considering the broader impact of decisions – on individuals, society, or the environment – trustees can find new ways to advance their organisation’s charitable purposes and avoid making decisions which conflict with it.
As the largest membership body for charities in England, we know we have an important role to play in supporting charities to embed ESG principles in their decision-making.
That’s why for Trustees’ Week 2023, we’re hosting a series of events looking at how these principles can help trustees lead their charities into the future.
We also launched a new campaign in the summer of 2023 to help trustees and charity leaders consider the environmental impact of their charities’ investments. In particular, the impact of our sector’s investments in fossil fuels on climate change.
Fuelling Positive Change encourages charities to consider whether investing in fossil fuels conflicts with their charitable objectives and whether they should exclude fossil fuels from their investments.
It also aims to raise awareness of the impact the climate crisis is likely to have on a wide range of charitable objectives.
When it comes to tackling the climate crisis, each of us has a role to play. At NCVO, we believe the voluntary sector has an important role to play and want to encourage the voluntary sector to use the combined power of our investments to help tackle the climate crisis.
Since launching the campaign in July, we’re thrilled to say that the number of charities signed up to the campaign has more than tripled. 31 charities have now signed up, and we are in conversations with many more who are interested in joining the cause.
Recent sign-ups include:
These charities have all committed to keeping fossil fuels out of their investments. Charities with no existing investments in fossil fuels have committed not to invest in fossil fuels in the future.
It’s clear from the range of charities across different subsectors, many are considering their wider role in society and their impact on the environment.
Climate change is no longer seen as an issue just for environmental charities.
More and more organisations are concerned about the impact climate change could have not only on their operations but their communities. Some have also expressed the need for collective action.
Read more, including how to sign up, on the Fuelling Positive Change website.
