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.”
Has the German LkSG worked so far? Listen to Finn Schufft, Corporate Responsibility Officer at Germanwatch and Emirali Karadoğan, Researcher and Trade Union Expert for the Turkish trade union Tez-Koop-İş
Will the European Grid Package secure the EU's energy transition? Listen to Alina Laszlo-Orth, Head of EU Affairs at E.ON and Tereza Fialová, lawyer at the Responsible Energy Team at Frank Bold
What's the verdict on the European Commisson's SFDR review? Listen to Leo Donnachie, Senior Policy Specialist, Sustainable Finance at the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) and David Němeček, Senior Sustainable Finance Expert at Responsible Companies, Frank Bold
