Listen to Richard Hardyment, author and head of business engagement at the Institute of Business Ethics
In this week’s episode, Richard Howitt asks: can we believe the numbers on environment, social and governance (ESG)?
To address this, we welcome Richard Hardyment, a research professional, very used to assessing numbers, but who has just produced a book saying that there is little or no evidence that ESG has and has had any positive outcomes for people and the planet in the real world. And yet he calls himself emphatically pro-sustainability. After directing research at the World Benchmarking Alliance, he is now head of business engagement at the Institute of Business Ethics. His new book is called Measuring Good Business: Making Sense of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Data.
In this episode, you’ll hear more about:
“I think all the work that's been going on in standards over the last 20 years really is hugely welcome and important. It's been critical in terms of painting a picture for companies and investors, the direction of travel. It's crucial to provide the language in terms of the frameworks, what we mean by these topics, what does human rights mean, what does climate resilience mean and codifying that. And it's been vital in terms of helping businesses allocate resources and do this in an efficient way. And obviously the upcoming regulations are presenting a challenge on that front.”
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What has been the experience of first-wave practitioners implementing the EU's sustainability reporting legislation? Listen to Ulrike Sapiro, Chief Sustainability Officer at Henkel
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What impact will the Omnibus simplification proposals have on banks, and what is their message to European policymakers? Listen to Antoni Ballabriga, Global Head for Sustainability Intelligence and Advocacy at BBVA
What have been the latest developments on the European Commission’s Omnibus proposals and how have companies reacted? Listen to Maria Tymtsias, co-founder of the Palau Project and Frank Bold’s Julia Otten
