We are honoured to announce that Frankly Speaking - A Podcast on Responsible Business has received the Silver Stevie Award in the Podcast category for Sustainability & Environment.
The International Business Awards are the world’s premier business awards programme. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small - are eligible to submit nominations. The 2025 IBAs received nominations from organisations and individuals in 78 nations and territories.
More than 3,800 nominations from organisations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Company of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Startup of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others.
The Frankly Speaking podcast won the Silver Stevie Award in the Podcast category for Sustainability & Environment.
Richard Howitt, who hosts the podcast and formerly worked as a Member of the European Parliament, said: "In contrast to those who say sustainability is too difficult or costly, the interest in our podcast from a very wide audience shows that sustainability transformation is absolutely essential and that there is a real thirst for knowledge on how to do it.
"We all have a stake in how companies meet this challenge, as employees, as customers, as pension holders. The 'Frankly Speaking' podcast really does allow us to speak frankly about what it means to be a responsible business."
Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 250 executives worldwide, who participated in the judging process in May - July.
The judges described Frankly Speaking as representing a valuable and meaningful contribution to the discourse on sustainability, and praised the actionable advice to businesses that the podcast provides:
“Frankly Speaking stands out as a timely and insightful podcast that contributes meaningfully to the sustainability and ESG discourse in Europe and beyond. The series effectively blends policy updates with practical business insights, featuring a strong lineup of global thought leaders. Its focus on making responsible business the norm is both urgent and well-executed. The interviews are relevant, well-researched, and accessible, making complex legal and sustainability topics understandable for a diverse audience. A valuable contribution to the sustainability media landscape.”
“The show successfully navigates complex and evolving topics like ESG, sustainability reporting, and corporate responsibility — issues that are currently at the core of EU and global business regulation…The podcast doesn't just analyse issues — it also offers actionable insights for businesses, which makes it especially valuable for corporate listeners navigating the green transition.”
“Excellent initiative with a depth in the purpose. Apart from being a podcast, it is actually bringing in future relevant conversations.”
To listen to any of the 83 episodes we’ve released so far, please see here.
If you’d like to learn more about The International Business Awards and the lists of Stevie Award winners, please visit here.
This spring, the European Commission's ETIP SNET platform released a study on the impact of energy communities on the grid. The analysis was followed up in August by the major pan-European CIGRE conference, where study authors discussed their findings with energy experts, including scientists and grid operators. They concluded that well-structured energy communities could benefit the grid if supported by the regulatory framework and other market participants.
The study on the sustainability disclosures of 100 influential companies from high-impact sectors provides an early reflection on the general readiness for businesses in the EU to meet the expectations of the upcoming EU sustainability rules and standards. Our report contributes to identifying the main challenges, as well as to highlight emerging good practices.
Thanks to legal support from the Frank Bold expert group, the Czech Neighborhood Association Uhelná, which has been opposing the adverse effects of mining at the Polish Turów mine, has achieved a significant milestone: at their initiative, the Czech Environmental Inspectorate (CEI) launched an investigation to assess whether mining activities at Turów are causing long-term water loss on the Czech side of the border. This is one of the first cases in which the Czech office has applied the Act on the Prevention of Ecological Damage. The Inspectorate has also included the Polish mining company PGE in the proceedings.