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(Responsible Investor) - Ten years have passed since an amendment to the UK Pensions Act became the world’s first regulation to require occupational pension schemes to disclose environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations within their investment portfolios. Its 10th anniversary was celebrated earlier this month at the House of Commons with the welcoming of Martin Clarke, executive director of financial risk at The Pensions Protection Fund as the new chair of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF).

The event was a testament to the role UKSIFhas played in driving the responsible investment (RI) debate and the growing acceptance of RI across the UK investment community. Similar disclosure requirements have subsequently been adopted by countries around the world including Germany, France and Australia in 2001, and most recently Canada in 2008. In response to this growing need, a range of RI products and services have been launched in the market, including the FTSE4Good Index Series. Since the launch of the indices in 2001, FTSE’s RI Unit has entered into dialogue with many companies regarding the FTSE4Good inclusion criteria, in the process developing significant experience of the challenges they face in addressing global ESG issues and meeting investor expectations. One particular country that presented FTSE with some challenging corporate engagement was Japan.

For more on the Responsible Investor article by Arisa Kishigami, a Japan specialist in the Responsible Investment unit at FTSE Group, visit: http://www.responsible-investor.com/home/article/japan/P0/