Church Commissioners hold companies to account on environmental and social issues in supply chains

18/06/2021

The Church Commissioners has, over the last year, expanded its responsible investment activities from being largely focused on climate change to include engaging with companies in a wide range of sectors across a number of integrated issues include biodiversity, human rights and controversies.

Olga Hancock, Senior Engagement Analyst for the Church Commissioners spoke to Responsible Investor as part of a panel of experts focussing on due diligence and supply chains. In the discussions, Olga spoke on the work of the Investor Policy Dialogue on Deforestation, for which she Co-Chairs the Indonesia workstream,  the work of the National Investing Bodies of the Church of England on Extractives, and the work of the CCLA led “ Find It Fix It Prevent It” Modern Slavery Initiative. 

As part of the panel, Olga commented: “With the Green Industrial revolution, and the Fourth Industrial revolution over the next decade, we need to be vigilant about the issues this creates in the supply chain such as the social and environmental impacts of mining battery minerals, and labour related issues in the supply chain of manufactured goods supporting this transition” 

The Church Commissioners and other National Investing Bodies of the Church of England recently launched a new Human Rights policy which aligns practice and exclusions across the investing bodies. The policy acts on advice given by the Church of England’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group.