This week, Richard Howitt welcomes Robert McCorquodale , professor of international law and human rights and current chair of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, to discuss their report presented last month to the 56th Human Rights Council on investor responsibility to respect human rights. You can read a summary of the report here . In this episode, you’ll hear about: ESG is not the same as human rights: there must be a systematic integration or the consideration of h...
Jul 17, 2024•32 min
Germany's NewClimate Institute has produced the Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor , evaluating the transparency and integrity of climate pledges of 51 major companies across different sectors and geographies. Richard Howitt welcomes Frederic Hans and Thomas Day , co-authors of the report to discuss their findings and key recommendations to companies in their journey to net-zero. In this episode, you’ll find more about: Good business practices and what makes a business leader in climate ac...
Jul 03, 2024•34 min
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 , author of Measuring Good Business: Making Sense of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Data . In it, he states 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...
Jun 19, 2024•34 min
We are a few days away from the European elections, and there is a frenzied atmosphere in Brussels for what the results might mean for the future of sustainability in the EU, Europe's Green Deal and for its implications for business. In this week’s episode, Richard Howitt welcomes Antonia Zimmermann , trade reporter for Politico Europe, which reports on European politics and policy, and Anna Brunetti , experienced financial journalist and economy editor at Euractiv. This conversation is going to...
Jun 05, 2024•40 min
In this Frankly Speaking episode, Richard Howitt welcomes MEP Heidi Hautala (Greens/ EFA), vice president of the European Parliament, founder of the EP’s working group for Responsible Business Conduct and former development minister of Finland. This year, Heidi has declared that she will step down at the forthcoming European elections. As one of the foremost advocates of business and human rights in Europe and a lead campaigner for Europe's new corporate sustainability due diligence law (#CSDDD)...
May 22, 2024•34 min
** Note to the listeners: due to technical difficulties, we recommend listening to this episode on Spotify while the audio is being updated on all platforms. Thank you for your patience and for bearing with us while we fix this technical issue. This week in the podcast, Richard Howitt welcomes one of the leading business voices on supply chain management in the world, Linda Kromjong , president of amfori , Global Business Association and a key advocate of open and sustainable trade in Europe and...
May 08, 2024•31 min
This week in Frankly Speaking, we put the spotlight on a new report produced by the OECD and analysing the state of corporate sustainability reporting in the world. To discuss it, we welcome Caio de Oliveira , policy analyst at the OECD, who's had major responsibility in producing the report and who leads the sustainability work streams at the OECD on behalf of the Corporate Governance Committee and the Financial Markets Committee at the organisation. Caio has previously worked for the Brazilian...
Apr 24, 2024•36 min
Many of us know that dependence of developing countries on raw commodities leaves them vulnerable to price volatility and sees profit made in countries where the commodity is imported and then processed, rather than where it is produced. It's often farmers in those developing countries who are at the end of the line. That problem has been specifically highlighted in the cocoa sector this year. Today in the podcast we look at where cocoa prices have gone parabolic, rising from just over 2,000 USD...
Apr 17, 2024•37 min
In this new Frankly Speaking episode, we explore the question of human rights due diligence by companies by asking what should go in the contract. Due diligence approaches have been criticized as simply using contractual clauses to pass off risk and responsibility down the supply chain. To address how this can be avoided and to discuss what should and shouldn’t be in the contract, Richard Howitt welcomes Professor Sarah Dadush , writer and teacher in business and human rights at Rutgers Law Scho...
Apr 03, 2024•34 min
In this Frankly Speaking episode, we explore how companies should undertake a materiality assessment when they tackle their sustainability report. The concept of materiality is derived from financial accounting in business and human rights, and very simply asks the question: does this information matter? To guide us, we welcome back Filip Gregor , head of Frank Bold’s Responsible Companies section and member of EFRAG’s Sustainability Reporting Board, which draws up and recommends the Europea...
Mar 20, 2024•42 min
In this episode, Frankly Speaking explores the new climate disclosure rules just agreed by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States and asks what are the implications both in the US and worldwide. To answer those questions, Richard Howitt welcomes Tracey Rembert , Associate Director, Climate Change and Environmental Justice at the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) , and Alexandra Wright-Gladstein , founder and CEO of the climate-friendly investment fund Sphe...
Mar 13, 2024•34 min
In this new Frankly Speaking episode, Richard Howitt and his guests ask what is really happening in Europe's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the proposed law on how companies identify, prevent and remedy human rights and environmental abuses in their global supply chains. Given political agreement by EU governments and members of the European Parliament before Christmas 2023, some governments undertook a volte face and indicated they would not support the law at the fin...
Mar 06, 2024•33 min
Today, Frankly Speaking welcomes Veronica Poole , Global International Financial Reporting Standards and Corporate Reporting Leader at big four accountancy company Deloitte. In that role, Veronica has been at the forefront of moves to set sustainability reporting standards for business to the creation of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). She is both one of the leaders in the world with knowledge about the ISSB but also with responsibilities to help companies implement its ...
Feb 21, 2024•37 min
On the podcast this week, we are joined by Belinda Christine Borck , Global Public Policy Coordinator at the Dutch-based chocolate producer Tony's Chocolonely . Tony’s mission is to make 100% slave free the norm in all chocolate worldwide, and founder Teun van de Keuken picks the name “Chocolonely” to encapsulate his “lonely fight against inequality in the chocolate industry”. The company has changed the standard square piece format of the chocolate bar to an unequally divided piece to symbolize...
Feb 07, 2024•40 min
"We don't just need to change companies, but to change the system." How often have we heard this statement? In this Frankly Speaking episode, Richard Howitt is joined by Dr. Anneloes Smitsman. They address what systems change means and how companies can contribute to achieving it. We also discuss if there is a social tipping point where people's acceptance of the need to act on climate change will make a decisive difference in how consumers, employees and investors support the necessary changes ...
Jan 24, 2024•41 min
Happy New Year to all Frankly Speaking listeners! Today’s guest is Nele Meyer, appointed last year as director of the European Coalition for Corporate Justice , a European network of NGOs which undertake advocacy on issues of corporate accountability. In this first episode of 2024, Richard and Nele look back on a key achievement of the past year: the new EU rules on mandatory due diligence, given political agreement late in December. In the second part of the episode, they look forward to what w...
Jan 10, 2024•34 min
For the last Frankly Speaking episode of 2023, Richard Howitt welcomes Maria Mendiluce , CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition and named last month by Time Magazine as one of the world’s top 100 Climate leaders. Their mission brings together a group of nonprofit organizations collaborating to accelerate an inclusive transition to a net zero economy. With their ‘ Fossil to Clean ’ campaign, they called all Parties at COP28 "to transform the global energy system towards a full phase-out of unabate...
Dec 20, 2023•33 min
How can companies and investors be agents of change for human and social rights? Today on Frankly Speaking is Caroline Rees , President and co-Founder of Shift , the leading center of expertise on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and #HumanRights. After a tribute to Professor John Ruggie ’s work (author of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights), you’ll hear Richard and Caroline discuss: The role of business in society and if the “business of business is business” theory has...
Dec 11, 2023•39 min
In what ways does business interact with nature? What can businesses do about the biodiversity crisis, the loss of wildlife populations or species facing extinction? In September, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) came up with at least some of the answers, with its recommendations providing the tools and methodologies needed by companies and investors to develop a sustainable relationship with nature. To discuss it on the podcast this week, Richard Howitt receives TNFD...
Nov 22, 2023•42 min
We often hear discussions about corporate accountability being too dominated by developed countries and that we need to hear more voices from the Global South. What does the global value chain look like from the other end? How do concepts in international documents like the UN Guiding Principles apply on the ground? Is it really possible for victims to get a fair hearing? To answer these questions this week, Richard Howitt receives Maxwell Atuhura, a farmer and fisherman from Uganda, who for the...
Nov 08, 2023•39 min
Since 2018, Europe has been a leader in sustainable finance efforts, establishing its taxonomy on what can be classified as a sustainable investment and requiring investors to disclose how far their investments are sustainable. More recently, the European Commission opened a consultation on the entire future of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (#SFDR). To discuss these crucial issues in the podcast today with Richard Howitt : Marie Baumgarts , sustainability partner at KPMG and memb...
Oct 25, 2023•32 min
Join us for a thought-provoking episode as we delve into the world of critical raw materials. We've all heard about the global dilemmas surrounding resources like cobalt, essential for the technology in our mobile phones, but often sourced from regions with questionable human rights records. The energy transition, the production of batteries, electric vehicles, and the transmission of renewable energy all rely heavily on raw materials, including cobalt, nickel, lithium, and rare earth elements. ...
Oct 24, 2023•40 min
The Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment database now records more than 2000 cases of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, a tripling of the number since just 2019. To discuss the rising tide of such legal cases and what's behind them, we welcome Sandra Cossart , Executive Director of Sherpa and strategic litigation expert. Some of Sherpa’s cases include current action seeking to get TotalEnergies to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement, a case seeking judicia...
Oct 24, 2023•44 min
To celebrate the first anniversary of the podcast, Richard Howitt welcomes back three of our special guests to bring you up to date on some of those issues and also to look forward to what's going to happen next: Rachel Davis , vice-president and co-founder of Shift , Lene Serpa , director and head of corporate sustainability at A.P. Moller-Maersk , and Filip Gregor , head of Frank Bold’s Responsible Companies Section . In this episode, you’ll hear more of the debate between our guests: 02:44 La...
Sep 13, 2023•52 min
After a short summer break, the Frankly Speaking podcast is excited to be back. Over this summer, we've reached a significant milestone as the European Commission officially released the long-awaited European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) through a delegated act. In this episode, we welcome Filip Gregor , member of EFRAG ’s Sustainability Reporting Board, researcher, advisor and advocate for corporate sustainability reporting and head of Frank Bold’s Responsible Companies section. We...
Aug 30, 2023•37 min
Frankly Speaking discusses this week the recent update of the OECD Guidelines on multinational enterprises with Allan Jorgensen , Head of the OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct since 2021. He was previously Head of Sustainable Trade for Danish logistics company A.P. Moller-Maersk. Prior to that, Allan served in the public sector as Director of Human Rights and Business at the Danish Institute for Human Rights. The guidelines are the world's principal soft law instrument on responsible ...
Jul 19, 2023•37 min
This week on Frankly Speaking, we welcome David Vermijs and discuss the final draft of the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The draft Delegated Act from the European Commission is currently subject to a feedback period until the 7th of July. David is the Director of Business Engagement at one of the leading organizations on business and human rights in the world, Shift . He is also a member of EFRAG 's Sustainability Reporting Board, the body which undertakes the ...
Jul 05, 2023•35 min
For this episode, we invited Giulia Bondi to discuss the new EU Deforestation Regulation recently adopted and the role of businesses in saving the world's forests. Giulia is a Senior EU Campaigner on Forests at the investigatory organisation Global Witness. Giulia has been part of the European Union policy community for over ten years and is a leading voice on the matter. We take a deep dive on: the role and responsibility of global supply chains in the destruction of our forests, how companies ...
Jun 21, 2023•31 min
This week, we welcome Sonja Haut to discuss ‘impact’ - the idea that companies can calculate and use valuations of how the business affects society and the environment, and investors can put their money into supporting it. Sonja is a true pioneer and has published a book called ‘The Case for Impact’. She is Head of Impact Valuation at the pharmaceuticals company Novartis and a member of the World Economic Forum Futures Council. Find out more about impact economy, the role of transparency, corpor...
Jun 07, 2023•32 min
Frankly Speaking is discussing carbon tariffs this week: In May 2023, the European Union's green tariff, known as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism or CBAM, came into force. We are discussing this development with one of its key advocates, Agnese Ruggiero , Policy Lead at Carbon Market Watch, an independent watchdog working on carbon pricing, carbon markets and industrial decarbonisation. Listen in to a conversation about: What the carbon border adjustment mechanism is, how it will work and...
May 24, 2023•28 min•Ep. 24
