Structured vs Unstructured Data
Biz StrategyFuture TechOpinions

AI x Sustainability (1): Where does it fit?

AI has the potential to transform corporate responsibility by handling data-heavy tasks like reporting or data and KPI management. It hence can contribute to helping companies 'being less bad'. However, its potential to support professionals and companies in driving real positive impact is still developing. This post introduces AI’s current potenntial in corporate responsibility and sustainability. In upcoming blog posts we'll explore specific applications: in sustainability reporting, supply chain management, and integrating financial considerations with sustainability impact.
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Walking the Path
Biz StrategyGovernanceOpinions

What would the world lose if your company disappeared?

Our economic well-being relies on indefinite growth in a finite system, raising sustainability concerns. But, if we dared to ask: What would the world lose if your company disappeared? Companies might find themselves in a totally novel position on how to justify their existence: Through assessments of their overall impact on society and the planet, or indeed having to advocate how their business case positively contribute to all facets of life.
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Shadow
Biz StrategyFinance

Balance Sheet Shadow: The overlooked impact of corporate cash holdings

This blog uncovers the surprising, and mostly overseen fact, that corporate cash holdings in banks more often than not have a relevant carbon footprint. Relevant enough for a company's own Scope 3 and overall footprint. We discuss actionable steps from the Green Action Cash Guide, and the type of support the guide gives – but also lacks. Topics touched upon are: board support, data gathering, and strategies for shifting to climate-friendly banking partners.
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Rewvie Assessment Situation
Biz Strategy

The Illusion of Impact Effectiveness. Or: How to Stress test your Corporate Responsibility Impact Performance.

In her thought-provoking 2020 article, Laura Liswood exposes "The Illusion of Inclusion," where companies appear diverse but lack genuine inclusion. In this blog post I extend this idea to "The Illusion of Sustainability Impact Effectiveness," where businesses seem committed to sustainability but achieve minimal real impact. By adapting Liswood's Inclusion Stress Test, I drafted a version of the assessmnt that can be a usueful tool for companies to genuinely assess and enhance their corporate responsibility efforts across all dimensions.
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Photo by Myriam Zilles on Unsplash
GovernanceOpinions

Health Care and the ‘S’ in ESG

The healthcare industry's social responsibility goes beyond just workplace and supply chain issues; it's about its impact on society and what its real goals are. Trials and prevention efforts often overlook certain groups. Politics and money regularly determine who gets treated, in function of political agendas in some jurisdictions. And: Using the GDP to measure health isn't necessarily helpful as it incentives fixing problems rather then preventing them early on.
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COP28
FinanceGovernanceOpinions

COP28: An Important Step – Just Differently So

COP28 yielded mixed results, featuring some historic 'firsts' such as a fossil fuel phase-out commitment, a $700 million loss and damage fund, the recognition of nuclear energy, and (this is huge!) a pointed spotlight on food systems' role in adaption. Most of the old challenges though remain: It's all carrots and no sticks. Which shows in the continued absence of enforcement of Climate Targets or their stringency, and the eye-level conversation with Global South nations.
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What if the law changes?
Biz StrategyGovernanceOpinions

Climate Litigation x Boards of Directors: Approaching New Frontiers

Governments as well as legal persons such as companies are undoubtedly important players in this whole societal shift towards climate mitigation and adaption. When it comes to corporates though, and notably stock quoted companies, there is a group of people that is most prominently exposed in regards to the legality and societal ‘license to operate’ of a company: the Board of Directors (BoD). The question hence for this blog post is: How is this climate litigation business shaping up to affect the Board of Directors of publicly listed companies?
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Waves of global disasters - Meme
Biz StrategyFinanceGovernance

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (9) – Habemus suasiones! Recommendations we have!

After some results at the COP in Vancouver, as well as the release of the first ever Science -Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) – finally (!) the recommendations by the TNFD (Task Force for nature-based financial disclosure) have been released. So the question obviously is, how do these targets address the 5 key drivers of biodiversity erosion eventhough it is only about reporting? Are the TNDF recommendations worth their salt?
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What if the law changes?
Biz StrategyGovernanceOpinions

Climate Litigation x Companies: An (un)surprising Surprise?!

Governments are undoubtedly important players in this whole societal shift towards climate mitigation and adaption. Equally important though, and by the argument of some possibly even more important: companies, the corporate world. The largest number of cases on a global level are brought forward against governments. But about a forth of all cases are filed against corporations. This is not negligible - and, maybe more importantly, a number on a brisk raising trajectory. The question hence for this blog post is: How is this climate litigation business shaping up to affect corporate players?
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What if the law changes?
Biz StrategyGovernanceOpinions

Climate Litigation x Governments: A surprisingly (un)revolutionary approach

Litigation, going to court, is by definition not a fun business. And yet, in this 2023 several Climate Litigation cases have already caught the headline – and many more are in the makes. Among all the court cases, one particular case sticks out like – depending on the political viewpoint – either a lighthouse of hope, or a sore thumb: Urgenda vs Government of the Netherlands. In this blog post we dig deeper into this case: Who was going to court against whom? And why exactly? How come the plaintiffs won? And: is this just a one off local phenomenon in the Netherlands?
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Waves of global disasters - Meme
FinanceGovernanceLabelsSupply Chain

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (8) – Habemus propositum! Targets we have!

After some results at the COP in Vancouver, as well as efforts by the TNFD (Task Force for nature-based financial disclosure) – we finally (!) got the first ever Science -Based Targets for Nature (SBTN). It is a first release, however. So the question obviously is, how do these targets address the 5 key drivers of biodiversity erosion? Are the SBTNs worth their salt?
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Tutorial, Field Manual, Type writer
Biz StrategyGovernanceOpinions

It starts with … Me, myself and I.
OR: a simple field manual to create (sustainability) disempowerment in organisations.

This manual was originally drafted when I was astonished by the way how ‘doublespeak’ is being used in organisations to prevent change. Any change. Including – but not limited to – sustainability related ones. It is a cynic-sarcastic-semi-realistic manual on how to be reasonably successful in disempowering an organisation. It is applicable to all areas that encompass change including innovation, sustainability, internationalisation, digitalisation and so forth.
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Waves of global disasters - Meme
DefinitionsGlobalisationGovernance

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (7) – What you Measure, you Manage, and Progress. Or not?!

In the last post I wrote about one of the most historic inter-governmental landmark decisions: At the ‘Biodiversity’ COP (COP15) 200 countries had agreed on 4 Goals and 23 Targets. It goes without saying though that the interesting piece is the enforcement and implementation mechanisms of the mentioned agreement. Hence, the focus of this article is: How exactly – if at all – will the goals and progress measures reached in December 2022 be enforced and tracked?
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