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ESG

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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The Theory U Process of Co-sensing and Co-creating
Biz StrategyOpinions

Valleys of Despair and Mountains of Stupid: When it comes to sustainability, we’re all apprentices – all the time

‘I feel like a fraud’. This is what employees of clients I work with often voice. It is usually at the point of time when strategy is moved to implementation. Hence: when it all gets concrete. The statement is an expression of the feeling of overwhelm that comes with delving into sustainability issues, acquiring new knowledge and terminology, and in addition having to adapt ones habitual practice of work.It also happens once the low hanging fruits are gleaned, everything gets much more difficult. It's the 'valley of despair'. Why is it important to pay attention to it? And what can leaders do about it?
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Charles Darwin
FinanceGovernance

ESG assessments: Finance’s Darwinistic Industry Lens?

The finance industry does have its share to play in a ‘just transition’ to a low carbon and more ‘doughnut-ty’ economy. This is a given. I have written repeatedly about it. In most contexts, the finance industry is characterised and promoted as a ‘driver’ of said transition. But is that really so? After all, the by far and distant most frequent tenor in ESG (the finance industry’s term for all things ‘sustainability’) is predominantly about risk. With that in mind, let's tell it as it is: The finance industry’s ESG discourse is opportunistic. As indeed all it’s actions and views have been, and as indeed the the industry’s clockwork is set out to be and function. Opportunistic.
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SDG mountain
Biz StrategyGovernance

Tools for boards: A few goodies, but far between

Most companies have had a brush with sustainability (or it’s finance industry lens: ESG) at the very least on an operational level. Not necessarily always voluntarily or out of conviction, mind. Looking at corporate boards however, the picture starts to change – not necessarily to the better. While boards of listed companies may have been forced to look at non-financial disclosure, it is rare that any board has a sound grasp, never mind approach, to all things ESG and sustainability. This is why I list in this post the few tools I am aware of that are specifically targetting and intended to help corporate boards start on the journey towards becoming climate and SDG savvy.
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CSR Metric report by industry
Biz StrategyGovernance

Reporting Metrics? A tale of chaos and – maybe? finally? – convergence

Reporting on ESG / sustainability dimensions is an issue. One for the executives in a company across all levels of responsibility. And one for the board. For the board indeed even on two accounts, namely: The metric they require to be reported to; and the metric that eventually find their way into publicly disclosed information of some shape or other. Unsurprisingly: How seriously a company takes the ESG issue can be inferred from the extent, poignancy, and quality of their reporting. That again – equally unsurprisingly – says is all about how ESG-savvy their board most likely is. Or, indeed, is not.
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Sustainable Business Leadership in 2030 - Four Scenarios
Biz StrategyGovernanceOpinions

Companies & Sustainability: Who leads it? And how?

If you’ve ever been part of a bigger discourse about how to scale out sustainability economically and globally, you’ll have been quick to notice that by and large you’ll be faced with representatives of four distinct camps of advocates: The Grassrooters; the 'Setting the tone at the top' people; those in support of government regulation driven by civil society; and the 'Fiduciary Duty Advocates'. But which camp owns the driving leadership role? Funnily enough, that role does get handed around as if it was a game of musical chairs ... or the proverbial hot potato.
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Toshiba Robot
Biz StrategyFuture TechLabourOpinions

Digitalisation x Sustainability: A match made with pragmatism and opportunity

Computer Science and Sustainability/ESG: these two areas of expertise combine increasingly well with every passing month and year. In fact, I am tempted to say that the two worlds of sustainability and digitalisation are surprisingly similar to one another. In a number of ways – not in all, of course! – they overlap more than they differ. And mutually benefit each other. Both areas represent critical skill-sets for boards and senior executives in the current and upcoming decades. This is why I thought I’d take the time to reflect on the overlaps, the synergies, but no doubt also the differences. The key words: systems thinking, automatisation, fraud prevention and authentication, business model distruption, usability, and the Just Transition.
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Kindling the Amber
Opinions

Kindling the Amber: Gratefulness, and to fresh Opportunities.

This year has been a tough year. The count of lost lives alone cannot be escaped. For me: I was made redundant shortly before Christmas 2019 - consequence of restructuring - and had wanted to set up on my own. And then ... you know the story. And yet: there is so much to be grateful for. Parents that are healthy. Mountains that were climbed. Access to natural spaces. The snowflakes in front of my window. And learnings along the way. One thing that particularly stands out to me, from all the experiences in the past months: There are two types of people in this world. Those that champion the achievements of others. Who want to see them succeed and create positive change in and for the world and our global society. And then some. I'm grateful to have learned the difference. To 2021. To 12 more months of opportunities, to learn, to become better versions of ourselves, and to create change. For us. But more importantly, for the generations yet to come.
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Tennis Ball and Court
Biz StrategyFinanceGovernance

Dropping the Ball: How sustainability (ESG) competent and capable are boards?

Expertise is a key discussion topic when it comes to board composition. Not only during the hiring process, but also when looking at the tenure in and renewal processes of board. According to a recent article by Board Agenda: a number of risks that have raised Directors & Officers concerns, and even litigation. These include [...] climate change and environmental issues; the #MeToo movement and other societal risks and merger objection litigation. Hence the question is: How sustainability (ESG) savvy and capable are boards?
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Sand Dunes at Night
Biz StrategyCircularityConsumer-ismDefinitionsFinanceMaterials

Straight Talk: ESG is Not ‘Sustainability’

Financial accounting is rather ill suited as well as ill equipped to deal properly with a system that has finite natural resources. Else, why would it not record the environmental losses that come with e.g. extracting bauxite? And what about ESG? Well it turns out, ESG is just more of the same (growth) just in a shade of ‘green’. It is for a reason that the Global Materials Footprint has kept growing in alignment with the much coveted GDP growth. Despite all green efforts. ESG – investing in ‘greener’ tech and businesses – is definitely NOT ‘Sustainability’ as we need it.
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Greenwashing
Biz StrategyGovernanceSupply Chain

The Power of Questions: An upside to Greenwashing?

Greenwashing is defined as 'the expression of environmentalist concerns especially as a cover for products, policies, or activities'. There also exists Diversity-washing, Governance-washing, or skill-washing for example. In itself a truly nasty thing, there is an unexpected upside to Greenwashing however: it will come back to haunt the greenwasher. Maybe not fast, but no doubt steadily. Just like the tortoise won the race against the hare.
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