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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The Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD) wants to do for social issues what the TCFD did for climate a decade ago: harness capital markets to drive corporate action, this time on inequality and people-related risk.
What’s the track record of German companies implementing the LkSG? Listen to Sarah Hechler, previously Social Project Manager at the UN Global Compact Netzwerk Deutschland, and Christopher Bayer, Senior Researcher on the study and Principal Investigator at Development International
Are US companies retreating from or respecting human rights? Listen to Bennett Freeman, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor and Chloe Cole, Senior Researcher in US Business and Human Rights at the Business and Human Rights Centre
