The Report Report is a monthly wrap-up of recent research on sustainable business and clean technology, produced by Corporate Eco Forum, a by-invitation membership organization comprised of large, global companies that demonstrate a serious commitment at the senior executive level to sustainability as a business strategy issue.

Better Energy, Greater Prosperity (Energy Transitions Commission)

Outlines four interdependent energy transition strategies that, if pursued simultaneously, could deliver the global emissions cuts needed to limit global warming to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius. The report finds that decarbonizing around 80 percent of power generation combined with extended electrification of transport, buildings and industry could deliver 50 percent of the emissions cuts needed to achieve the "well below" scenario by 2040.

Carbon Pricing Corridors: The Market View (CDP and We Mean Business)

Offers insight from 22 business leaders and experts into the potential long-term impacts that carbon pricing might have on the power sector, and how the Carbon Pricing Corridors can be used to factor these impacts into their financial planning. The report lays out the world’s first investment grade carbon pricing scheme for the power sector; $30–$100 per ton by 2030 to keep global warming below the 2 C threshold.

2017 Cone Communications CSR Study (Cone Communications)

Finds that 87 percent of Americans will purchase a company’s product if it advocates for an issue that is important to them; 76 percent will not purchase a company’s products or services if it supports an issue contrary to their beliefs. The report also finds that 63 percent of Americans want business to lead the charge on social and environmental change in the absence of government regulation; 78 percent of Americans want business to address social justice issues.

Human Rights Reporting: Are Companies Telling Investors What They Need to Know? (Shift)

Analyzes human rights disclosures from 74 large companies, representing seven sectors, to provide a window into the state of corporate human rights reporting. The report finds that more than 50 percent of companies reviewed do not state which human rights are most material to their operations and value chains in their disclosures; 45 percent of companies reviewed do not state how they track their performance on human rights.

Lumens as a Service: How to Capture the Technology-Enabled Business Opportunity for Advanced Lighting in Commercial Buildings (Rocky Mountain Institute)

Explores the Lumens as a Service (LaaS) business model and its potential to accelerate the adoption of energy efficiency in the built environment. The report also compares the LaaS model to traditional asset-based ownership from the perspective of service providers and commercial building customers.

Mobilizing Bond Markets for a Low-Carbon Transition (OECD)

Analyzes the development and growth of the green bond market, and proposes a quantitative framework for understanding the possible directions of bond market evolution and the role bonds could play in accelerating the low-carbon transition. The report finds that the green bond market reached $95 billion in issuance in 2016 — up from just $3 billion in 2011.

Power Forward 3.0: How the largest U.S. companies are capturing business value while addressing climate change (WWF, Ceres, Calvert Investments, and CDP)

Finds that 48 percent of Fortune 500 companies have at least one climate or clean energy target; 63 percent of Fortune 100 companies have set at least one clean energy target. The report also finds that 190 companies reported nearly $3.7 billion in savings from emission-reducing projects in 2016 alone.

Sustainable Seafood Coalition Report: Assessment of SSC Labelling and Sourcing Codes (Sustainable Seafood Coalition)

Assesses 80 products made by Sustainable Seafood Coalition (SSC) member companies to benchmark member implementation of SSC’s codes of conduct. The report finds that 97 percent of the products assessed met the transparency, traceability and risk assessment requirements of the SSC Sourcing Code. The report also finds that 97 percent of voluntary environmental claims made by SSC members used "clear and consistent language" in line with the requirements of the SSC Labeling Code.