Sustainability research specialists Corporate Monitor and CAER - Corporate Analysis. Enhanced Responsibility announce an agreement for CAER to acquire the research and ratings business of Corporate Monitor after a 12-month transition period.

Explaining the sale, Corporate Monitor executive director Michael Walsh said that while his company had established a flexible service model for ESG research, he feels that CAER has an advantage in data collection and management. "The combination of these two factors should see clients enjoying a better sustainability research service in the future," he said.

The agreement provides that from November 1, 2009 Corporate Monitor will use corporate sustainability data provided by CAER to provide its customised research and ratings services to clients.

From 1 October 2010 CAER will assume ongoing responsibility for delivery of all Corporate Monitor services.

Corporate Monitor services include: ethical investment advice, data analysis, ESG ratings and the Corporate Monitor tables published in Ethical Investor magazine.

Walsh will remain involved with Corporate Monitor over the one-year transition period to ensure that individual client needs are met under the new arrangements. The businesses of Ethical Investor and Givewell remain unaffected by this transition.

CAER's CEO Duncan Paterson noted that this was a very exciting development for his organisation. "The recent wave of consolidation in the ESG research space shows that scale is important, as is genuine commitment to helping investors incorporate environmental, social and governance data into their methodologies. CAER's relationship with leading global responsible investment specialists EIRIS means that Corporate Monitor clients can be confident we will continue Michael's good work in this space."

Further information:

Michael Walsh
Executive Director
Corporate Monitor
m: 0421 847 959

Duncan Paterson
Chief Executive Officer
CAER - Corporate Analysis. Enhanced Responsibility
Ph: 02 6201 1900
m: 0405 563 277

About CAER - Corporate Analysis. Enhanced Responsibility (CAER) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization assisting responsible investors in Australia and around the world. CAER was established in 2000 to provide independent environmental, social and governance (ESG) data on companies operating in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. CAER collects data on approximately 300 ESG issues for the S&P/ASX 200 and the NZX 50. Through a partnership with global responsible investment specialists EIRIS, CAER provides clients with access to consistent ESG data on over 3,000 companies around the world. Visit www.caer.org.au for more information.

About Corporate Monitor - Corporate Monitor is a member of the Lifecraft Group which also incorporates leading ethical investment publisher Ethical Investor and philanthropy research specialists Givewell. Corporate Monitor was formed in 1999 to play a key role in developing responsible investment and corporate sustainability in Australia. It does this by monitoring the non-financial activities of Australian companies and responsible investment funds. Visit www.corporatemonitor.com.au for more information.