Author: Pamela Ravasio

AI x Sustainability (3): Supply Chain Compliance with AI

November 12, 2024

Can AI help us to get to (better) grips with supply chain compliance? Supply chains are based on fairly complex partnership networks where every link ideally must meet strict efficiency and compliance standards. Supplier audits and legislation aim ultimately to ensure high standard, it is a not the least highly time demanding task to be successful at. AI offers the potential to support practical solutions for risk assessment, process optimization, and partner evaluation. Commercial providers are already jumping on the band wagon by providing ways to build 'digital twins' of real supply chains – hence opening them up for 'offline optimisation' - and of course highly sophisticated data analytics tools drawing from multiple disjoint data sources.

Biz Strategy Future Tech Opinions

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

October 1, 2024

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.

Biz Strategy Governance Opinions

What would the world lose if your company disappeared?

July 23, 2024

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.

Biz Strategy

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

May 28, 2024

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.

Finance Governance Opinions

COP28: An Important Step – Just Differently So

January 3, 2024

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.

Biz Strategy Finance Governance

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

October 11, 2023

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?

Biz Strategy Governance Opinions

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

August 2, 2023

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?

You too, can do: Be part of the solution, not the problem. Adding value with your skill set.

Biz Strategy Opinions

You too, can do. Or: How to be part of the solution, not the problem

June 27, 2023

More and more people call themselves 'sustainability experts'. Just -we do not need more of them. Instead we need people who are extremely good at what they do, apply their skill in a context to create change and that nourishes them for years to come. That's the Sweet Spot. How did you find your 'Sweet Spot'? And how did you transition?

Opinions

The Journey starts with the 1st Step

January 3, 2023

It’s that time of the year again when plans and aspirations are big, time capacity is scarce, budgets already set – and the old routine is just about to take over again. It is also the time of the year where there is that untypical window of opportunity. THE window of opportunity one could argue: introduce a small change. Small enough not to be overly tough to uphold. But big enough that, if repeated times and over again, at the very least 365 times a year, starts to make a difference. The journey starts with the first step. Here a few ideas.

Book Reviews Future Tech

Enabling a low carbon future: Emerging Tech – What’s the Hype about?

December 14, 2021

As companies and countries around the world pursue net zero targets, one big question is: How do you ensure the carbon removal technologies we will need 20 to 30 years down the road are available, affordable and easily scaled? S&P Global recently published a podcast mini-series on emerging climate technology. The series not only introduces a range of much hyped about, CO2 saving or CO2 removing technology, but also looks at scaling, the truth of potential impact, and financial viability.It is for this reason that I would like to list the three episodes in this post – and invite everyone to spend the 3 x 20 minutes to wrap their head around these insights.

Biz Strategy Future Tech Governance

AI x Sustainability (2): Leveraging AI for ESG Reporting

October 22, 2024

Could ESG reporting finally become less repetitive and tedious? AI has the potential to transform ESG reporting by automating compliance tracking, integrating data from diverse and unstructured sources, and streamlining audit preparation. This opens up opportunities to free data and ESG experts from repetitive, tedious tasks. Yet, while AI offers promise, tight oversight remains essential to address challenges like data quality ('crap in is crap out') and system integration.

Figure 1: Structural overview of ISO 37000/2021 (Source)

Governance

An ISO Standard for Good Governance – Warning Sign or Pivotal Inflection Point?

August 20, 2024

ISO 37000/2021 is a pivotal shift in governance, placing purpose at the heart of every organisation. It’s not just a box-ticking exercise but a strategic framework aligning values, strategy, and stakeholder interests. The key question: Does this signal a new global consensus on good governance, or a warning for leaders?

Biz Strategy Finance

Balance Sheet Shadow: The overlooked impact of corporate cash holdings

June 24, 2024

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.

Governance Opinions

Health Care and the ‘S’ in ESG

April 9, 2024

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.

Biz Strategy Governance Opinions

Climate Litigation x Boards of Directors: Approaching New Frontiers

November 1, 2023

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?

Biz Strategy Governance Opinions

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

September 13, 2023

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?

Finance Governance Labels Supply Chain

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

July 18, 2023

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?

Biz Strategy Governance Opinions

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

May 10, 2023

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.

Biz Strategy Consumer-ism Finance

A CO2 baseline for all: Tools to footprint, for Individuals to Small Enterprises

February 1, 2022

Large companies and institutional players are challenged to assess and calculate their carbon footprint. But they typically have the means to hire experts – in-house or consultants – and buy licenses of useful tools.This applies similarly to larger-sized SMEs. But what about distinctly small companies or indeed even individuals? How can they get a guesstimate on their carbon footprint, and possibly even some pointers how to do better going forward? Hence, here a short list of such calculators, both for individuals as well as for small companies.

Planetary Boundaries - Stockholm Resilience Centre

Circularity Future Tech Globalisation

Outside the comfort zone: Planetary boundaries and Europe

October 13, 2020

Overconsumption or ‘simply’ consumption? Fair resource use, or resource depletion? Fair share, equal share or acquired share of resources? Those are questions that pop up when the Planetary Boundaries are being discussed. “Is Europe living within the limits of our planet?: An assessment of Europe's environmental footprints in relation to planetary boundaries”, published in April 2020 does exactly that: it evaluates and calculates the European performance for planetary boundaries by taking a consumption-based (footprint-based) perspective. This is turn is interesting as it relates environmental pressures to final demands for goods and services. And the results are ... shall we say: a stark call to action.

Future Fit Industries of 'Stuff': Governance, Responsibility, and the Age of Doughnut Economics

AI x Sustainability (3): Supply Chain Compliance with AI

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

What would the world lose if your company disappeared?

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

COP28: An Important Step – Just Differently So

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

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

You too, can do. Or: How to be part of the solution, not the problem

The Journey starts with the 1st Step

Enabling a low carbon future: Emerging Tech – What’s the Hype about?

AI x Sustainability (2): Leveraging AI for ESG Reporting

An ISO Standard for Good Governance – Warning Sign or Pivotal Inflection Point?

Balance Sheet Shadow: The overlooked impact of corporate cash holdings

Climate Litigation x Boards of Directors: Approaching New Frontiers

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

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

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

A CO2 baseline for all: Tools to footprint, for Individuals to Small Enterprises

Outside the comfort zone: Planetary boundaries and Europe

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