"New benchmark ranks corporate human rights performance", 16 Mar 2017

The first-ever public ranking of corporate human rights performance has been launched to incentivise companies in a race to the top for the moral and commercial advantages of a strong human rights record...Investors are encouraged to use the benchmark's results in their analysis of companies and investment decision making, including the identification of key human rights risks to discuss with management...The ranking also paves the way for governments to use a smart mix of regulation and incentives to enhance transparency and minimum standards of corporate behaviour..."In our company engagements, we have noticed that public benchmarks make sustainability topics more concrete for companies and create a 'race to the top'. We expect the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark to do the same for international and industry-specific standards on human rights and responsible business conduct," said Angélique Laskewitz, director, Dutch Association for Sustainable Investing. [Also refers to Marks & Spencer Group, Adidas, Macy's].