On the understanding the ESG landscape
Having a true will to make a difference, I challenged myself to launch some initiatives with a long term objective. One of them is to understand the basics of ESG & sustainability reporting, and how the ESG landscape is evolving. — Let me tell you why.
Businesses are under intense pressure coming through, if not from their direct customers, is coming through from the finance community which has been one of the quickest to move towards putting expectations on the businesses they lend to in terms of their ESG performance.
Investors are inquiring more and more frequently about what organizations are doing in regards to responsible investment, how they treat their employees and customers, their dedication to sustainability initiatives and other activities that are falling under the ESG umbrella. It is also expected from customers, the communities & ecosystems in which the company is operating, and increasingly expected from the employees who want to know that they belong to a business that exists for a higher purpose than simply making money for its shareholders. Plus, it’s not just about the commitment that businesses need to make to net zero for example, it’s also raising questions about the fundamental purpose of businesses.
ESG performance is something that is going to fundamentally change the way that businesses operate into the long term. Others say that it feels like the digital revolution... however, this revolution is not industry-focused but complementing its social and environmental aspects that should be embedded into the business strategy, it also forces companies to go back from scratch to the fundamentals drawing out the narrative about the purpose of their businesses, and comprehensively & rigorously outlining the frameworks on which the digital and advanced technologies can be used (we've already seen the start of it in terms of personal data privacy and how it should be used)
Design thinking, ESG assessments and sustainability performance metrics… will empower companies to easily report on their current state and outline what future initiatives they will focus on while taking into consideration the business goals and risks.
In the next blog sections, I’ll be discussing the different aspects of the ESG reporting; the benefits for the organizations to do that, and how it supports sustainable investment strategies.
Call to action : Join the challenge.
🤝 Are you open for Collaboration ? Well, let's get in touch if you're:
- an expert who would like to share tips and best practices for the creation and implementation of successful ESG reporting for SME and startups
- a kickstarter (like me) who would like to collaborate on some topics.
🚀 Are you willing to be my mentor ? One of the best things that can happen to me at this stage of my career if to find a mentor, a specialist in energy & sustainability, who is willing to share some of their expertise and time with me. I definitely need some guidance, and I am so eager to learn. If you're interested, read my letter for more information.
About The Challenge
CHALLENGE — I challenged myself to ocument my learning journey about the ESG aspects, and to find a way to connect my broad range of skills to serving sustainability. I would also be thrilled to collaborate with you on producing some pieces of content.
Just reach out to me personally by email : sebaamoustafa@gmail.com or on LinkedIn
CONTEXT — ESG & Sustainability initiatives are not just going to stop at climate, very close in the wings of that is a huge growing pressure for companies to take responsibility for their biodiversity impact, recognizing that something like 50% of the world entire GDP is dependent on some form or another on the biodiversity on this planet. We can see the pressure growing around all aspects of the social agenda around, in particular, issues of human rights in supply chain and issues of inclusion & diversity.
Whilst businesses generally may feel that their performance under the governance pillar of ESG has been under scrutiny for a long time, the aspects that are being brought to bear under that are widening and widening. For example, if we just go back few years ago, it was generally delegated to the sustainability director, but now is owned and is being actively driven by the Chief Exec & the Finance Director on the board.
SECTIONS — On the understanding of the basics of ESG & sustainability reporting, and how the ESG landscape is evolving, I will be reading and writing about the global landscape, the shift to ESG, the reporting process, the future of the reporting process and the importance of data and digitalization. It would then be interesting to see the impact of regulations and regional policies.