The present financial crisis and increasing acceptance of global warming means change for investors. A new appreciation of business risk, an expanded notion of fiduciary duty and even a fundamental rewriting of the rules of capitalism are now all on the table.

But what will change look like? Will it be a tweak to the system resulting in incremental improvements or an upheaval that leads to a paradigm shift in the foundations of corporate law and capital markets?

Within the socially responsible investment movement, few organisations are better poised to answer these questions than Ceres – the Boston-based coalition of investors, environmental organisations and public-interest groups that created the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines for non-financial reporting. About 1,500 companies reported on their social and environmental impacts using the guidelines in 2008, according to GRI, 10 years after the guidelines were first introduced.

Upcoming Ethical Corporation conferences & events:
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2–3 November 2010, London Learn CSR best practice from multinational CEOs and 450 of your peers at Europe’s largest sustainability conference
3–4 May 2011, London Find out how M&S, Alstom, Cadbury, P&G engage their suppliers in sustainability - and saved £££s
9–10 November 2010, London
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