What We Do

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About Us

Ceres (pronounced “series”) is a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change.

Mission: Integrating sustainability into capital markets for the health of the planet and its people.

Accomplishments: At its founding in 1989, Ceres introduced a bold new vision to the business community. That vision is of a world in which business and capital markets promote the well being of human society and the protection of the earth’s biological systems and resources. Ceres advances its vision by bringing investors, environmental groups and other stakeholders together to encourage companies and capital markets to incorporate environmental and social challenges into their day-to-day decision-making. By leveraging the collective power of investors and other key stakeholders, Ceres has achieved dramatic results, among those:

• Recipient of numerous awards including the 2006 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and the Fast Company/Monitor Group Social Capitalist award, and was named one of the 100 most influential players in the corporate governance movement by Directorship Magazine.
• Launched the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), now the de-facto international standard used by over 1200 companies for corporate reporting on environmental, social and economic performance.
• Joined with Yale University and insurance firm, Marsh, to create the Sustainable Governance Forum on Climate Risk, a unique leadership development program designed to help corporate leaders address the problem of climate risk.
• Spearheaded dozens of breakthrough achievements with companies, such as Nike becoming the first global apparel company to disclose the names and locations of its 700-plus contract factories worldwide in 2005, Dell Computer agreeing in June 2006 to support national legislation to require electronic product recycling and “takeback” programs, and Bank of America announcing a $20 billion initiative in March 2007 to support the growth of environmentally sustainable business activity to address global climate change.
• Brought together 500 investor, Wall Street and corporate leaders at the United Nations in 2005 to address the growing financial risks and opportunities posed by climate change. The ground-breaking meeting included 28 U.S. and European investors approving a 10-point action plan seeking stronger analysis, disclosure and action from companies, Wall Street and regulators on climate change. Another investor summit will be held in February 2008.
• Launched and directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a group of more than 60 leading institutional investors with collective assets of $5 trillion.
• Published cutting-edge research reports to help investors better understand the implications of global warming. Among those: a January 2007 report, Climate Risk Disclosure by the S&P 500, an August 2006 report, From Risk to Opportunity: How Insurers Can Proactively and Profitably Manage Climate Change, and a March 2006 report, Corporate Governance and Climate Change: Making the Connection, which analyzed how 100 of the world’s largest companies are addressing the business challenges from climate change.