Listen to David Vermijs, Director of Business Engagement at Shift
This episode of Frankly Speaking welcomes David Vermijs and discusses the final draft of the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).
The draft Delegated Act from the European Commission is currently subject to a feedback period until the 7th of July. He is also a member of EFRAG's Sustainability Reporting Board, the body which undertakes the technical work to recommend the new sustainability reporting standards.
You will hear more about:
“Some of the biggest leaders in our world, including indeed the president von der Leyen, also President Biden, Emmanuel Macron gave this very message, saying that, yes, we need a transition, but we need a transition towards a climate neutral economy leaving no one behind. We got to make sure that that also comes through in the reporting standards. We do want the reporting to be meaningful and to be representative of what's happening in practice.”
Is it really is possible for companies to "do the right thing"?
There's very little pressure being applied to companies by investors looking at how they're actually behaving and treating human rights as a core business priority. This needs to change.
Investors shouldn't just take companies' word for what they're doing; they should investigate what the companies are actually doing regarding human rights.