SET seminar promotes business sustainability

Among those joining the Stock Exchange of Thailand’s “Sustainability Investment: Time for Benchmarking” seminar were Kathelijne Marritt Alers, regional director of RobecoSAM; Xinting Jian, principal and head of responsible investment, Asia, at Mercer; and Emily Chew, senior analyst of MSCI ESG Research.
Hosted in cooperation with the Government Pension Fund (GPF), RobecoSAM, S&P Dow Jones, Mercer and MSCI, the event was aimed at preparing listed companies, securities companies and mutual-fund operators for a global trend – where investors are paying attention to companies with sustainable growth strategies.
GPF secretary-general Sopawadee Lertmanuschai said that in line with the fund’s policy to seek long-term gains for members, it set out to invest in businesses that do not cause environmental problems, violate intellectual property rights, run counter to business ethics and destabilise society and/or national security.
“Besides, the fund has set the criteria for their environmental, social and good-governance policies. Governance is now our first focus, thanks to sufficient data. We vote at annual shareholder meetings in accordance with the information we have.
“We also seek discussion and make suggestions to the companies’ management teams. The GPF has discussed with nearly 40 listed companies in the past two years over environmental, social and governance issues. The response is positive,” she said.
Following recent global financial crises, investors worldwide have been paying close attention to issues that will ensure the sustainability of the businesses they are investing in.

DOW JONES
However, only a few Thai companies are currently included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
SET president Charamporn Jotikasthira said that aside from good governance, an economic, social and environmental balance was necessary.
He said he was pleased that the World Bank’s latest assessment showed that Thai listed companies’ governance ranking was the highest in the region. The stock exchange from next year will require all listed companies to submit CSR (corporate social responsibility) reports, aside from financial reports, he added.