Consumers’ trust in brands is linked to authenticity, which means their belief in a brand reflects their values. Some previously trusted large brands have fallen in the rankings because consumers felt the companies’ values no longer aligned with their own, the report said. The survey found that firms that are seen to focus too much on their own self-interest can lose the trust of consumers, Klein said. Some organizations initially responded well to the pandemic but then backed off some initiatives, resulting in less support from customers, he said. One example is companies that gave front-line workers an increase in pay, then took it away a few months later.
File photo by Belle White.
In January 2020, the UVic Board of Governors passed a new investment strategy, called the Responsible Investment Policy, while protesters from Divest UVic voiced their disappointment.
Now, a year after the policy was implemented, UVic has announced a $500 000 investment in Raven Indigenous Capital Partners’ Indigenous Impact Fund. Through investments in companies like the Raven Fund, UVic aims to reduce the carbon intensity of their working capital investment portfolio by 45 per cent by 2030.
Divest UVic remains concerned, however, that the Responsible Investment Policy falls short of divestment from fossil fuels. The policy placed a focus on carbon intensity and thematic investments. Carbon intensity is a measurement of the estimated total emissions of UVic’s investment holdings across all sectors. Emily Lowan, the director of campaigns for the UVSS, says it’s a flawed metric.