Events

Public meeting announcement: Faith, Values & Business

Forthcoming: 4 October, Manchester

Companies influence almost every aspect­ of our lives and increasingly operate across national boundaries. Through the b­anking and investment syste­ms, businesses rely on our money via personal and faith community savings and investments to further their activities.

­­How can we avoid our money funding ­negative i­mpacts on vulnerable communities and the environment? How can we help ensure that the priv­ate sector operates according to our faith and ethical values?

Join ECCR, Traidcraft, Oikocredit, Gaeia Partnership, Lancaster Diocesan Faith & Justice Commission, and other concerned people of all faiths and none at this public meeting to explore the issues.

Saturday 4 October 2008, 2.00 - 4.30 p.m., Central Manchester Friends Meeting House­­, ­Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS. More information from Helen Boothroyd: 01325 580028, helen.boothroyd@eccr.org.uk.

[download flyer] (pdf)

Making it happen: implementing the UN Principles for Responsible Investment

31 October 2008, 08:30-12:00, Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL

The UN Principles for Responsible I­nvestment (UN PRI) have garnered support of over 360 institutions representing more than US$15 trillion in assets. Designed to align the goals of the institutional investor and sustainable development objectives of the United Nations, what can asset owners and asset managers do to promote the aims of the PRI? To address these issues, EIRIS is hosting an event that will feature leading speakers including Donald MacDonald, Chair, UN PRI; Georg Kell, Executive Director, UN Global Compact; James Gifford, Executive Director, UN PRI; Colin Melvin, Chief Executive Officer, Hermes Equity Ownership Services.

The seminar is free of charge but space is limited. To register, please contact Andrew Jones on 020 7840 5719 or at andrew.jones@eiris.org. For more information please visit ­www.eiris.org

New ECCR South West Group launch meeting, Bristol

9 February 2008

ECCR members and potential members from South West England gathered at the Woodlands Christian Centre, Bristol, on Saturday 9 February 2008 to launch a new ECCR local group in the South West region. Corporate ECCR members represented included the Churches' Council for Industry and Social Responsibility, Ethical Investors UK, Oikocredit UK and Rathbone Greenbank Investments.

ECCR's South West Group will initially concentrate on encouraging large companies in the South West to increase their responsible management of supply chains, with particular regard to mainstreaming Fair Trade, focusing first on supermarket own-brand products and on Cadbury Schweppes, which has a key regional presence, and highlighting bottom-line reputational and market share issues.

ECCR members and others in the South West who would be interested in being involved are invited to contact Matt Crossman (chair), Matt.Crossman@rathbones.com, or Jonathan Seagrave (secretary), jon_seagrave@yahoo.co.uk.

[Read more] (pdf)

More about ECCR local groups

ECCR open debate: 'Water sustainability: the challenge to business'

September 2007

Held at Methodist Church House, London. Chair: Claire Foster (National Policy Adviser, Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England). Speakers: Dr Tom Le Quesne (WWF-UK), Jacob Tompkins (Waterwise), David Gardner (The Co-operative Farms), Nicole Lander (Dairy Crest).

[Read more] (pdf)­

ECCR workshop on multinationals and corporate responsibility

March 2007­

Held at the Methodist Central Mission, Birmingham, focusing on how individuals, faith organisations and local groups can research and monitor the behaviour of multinational companies and engage them in dialogue with them, including the use of shareholder rights to influence their policy and practice. Speakers included David Darlaston (Business in the Community), Barbara Hayes (ECCR) and Suzanne Ismail (ECCR).­

Workshop on Churches, Civil Society, Multinational Companies and Corporate Responsibility in Central and Eastern Europe

October 2006

Co-organised by ECCR with support from the European Commission, and held over three days in Prague, Czech Republic. Speakers and session chairs (in programme order): Pavel Franc (Environmental Law Service, CZ), Klára Schirová (CEE Bankwatch, CZ), Bettina Musiolek (Evangelical Academy Meissen, DE), Ji_í Siln_ (Ecumenical Academy Prague, CZ), Fiona Gooch (Traidcraft Exchange), Pierre Habbard (Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD), Barbara Hayes (ECCR), Matthew Ross (Conference of European Churches), John Cunningham (Church Investors Group), Bill Seddon (Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church), Stephen Hine (EIRIS), Birgit Weinbrenner (Oikocredit, NL), Joost Douma (3iG / International Interfaith Investment Group), Suzanne Ismail (ECCR), John Wilson (Christian Brothers Investment Service / ICCR, USA), Miles Litvinoff (ECCR).

[Read more] (pdf) 

ECCR open debate: 'Flying in the face of climate change?'

September 2006

Held at Methodist Church House, London. Chair: Barbara Hayes (ECCR). Speakers: Martyn Graham (Society of British Aerospace Companies), Chris Goater (Airport Operators Association), Peter Lockley (Aviation Environment Federation), Jason Torrance (Transport 2000).

[Read more] (pdf)

ECCR workshop on shareholder responsibility: challenges and opportunities

March 2006

Held at Friends House, London. A knowledge- and skill-sharing event for individual and smaller institutional investors – faith-based and secular – focusing on how to be more effective in engaging on corporate responsibility with companies. Sessions led by Andrew Pendleton (Christian Aid), Victoria Woodbridge (EIRIS), Barbara Hayes (ECCR) and Suzanne Ismail (ECCR).

ECCR open debate: 'The ethical supply chain – shareholder value or impossible ideal?'

September 2005

Held at Methodist Church House, London. Chair: Barbara Hayes (ECCR). Speakers: Fiona Gooch (Traidcraft Exchange), Muriel Johnson (consultant to Marks & Spencer), James Stacey (KPMG), David Meller (Sainsbury plc), Colin Meech (UNISON).

ECCR open debate: 'What does sustainable development require of business?'

September 2005

Held at the Said Business School, Oxford. Chair: Sir Crispin Tickell. Speakers: Stewart Wallis (New Economics Foundation), Caroline Lucas MEP, Richard Aylard (Thames Water).