The World Business Council for Sustainable 发展 (WBCSD) and our members were actively engaged this year, participating in various events throughout 气候 Week, including various United Nations gatherings, the UNSecretary-General 气候 Ambition Summit, 以及正规博彩十大网站排名目标峰会. The week commenced on September 18 with the WBCSD 北美 meeting, where 100+ members convened to share practices and solutions aligned with stakeholder and societal expectations.
The WBCSD 北美 Annual Meeting took place at the 自然的积极 Hub. The event was facilitated and moderated by Byron Pitts, an experienced journalist with numerous Emmy awards and over two decades of news reporting, and the current host of ABC Nightline 新闻.
WBCSD Executive Vice President Diane Holdorf contextualized the day's proceedings within the broader WBCSD agenda during 气候 Week, 特别是为COP28做准备. Diane emphasized the significance of nature in combating climate change. She discussed the release of a suite of tools and guidance to better prepare the finance and business community for nature disclosures, stating that they will follow a journey similar to climate but toward nature-positive.
当前ESG格局
最初的会议，”驾驭ESG格局," discussed the prevailing challenges and resistance to ESG principles, 尤其是在美国, and acknowledged the evolving nature of the ESG landscape while recognizing consistent expectations. 拜伦·皮茨主持, the session featured keynote addresses by Peter Bakker, President and CEO of WBCSD; Lane Jost, ESG咨询主管, Edelman; and Mark Golovcsenko, KPMG US 气候 and ESG Advisory Leader.
Peter Bakker stressed the importance of accountability for a company's performance to cultivate trust and recognition. Mark Golovcsenko强调“business case for sustainability remains the ultimate defense against criticism." Byron concluded the session by highlighting that “doing the right thing for the right reasons is universal to all.”
Panel Discussions: Enhancing Trust and Accountability in Business
在最初的会议之后, the subsequent meeting segment offered solutions for companies to build trust and accountability in a dynamic regulatory, 市场, 以及社会环境. Trust within the business community is tied to increased accountability and exceptional performance. Businesses that exhibit unwavering commitment to climate targets and sustainability objectives can expect a surge in trust and recognition, particularly when backed by concrete examples of successful implementation. Such accountability serves as the cornerstone of authentic sustainability, fostering greater collaboration and earning credibility.
第一次小组讨论。”From Adversity to Opportunity: Navigating the Changing ESG Policy and Regulatory Landscape,菲奥娜·沃森评论道, 重新定义价值, WBCSD, Velislava伊万诺娃, 美洲首席正规博彩十大网站排名官, 是律师事务所, 理查德·曼利, 董事总经理, 可持续投资主管, 全球领导团队, CPO投资, 还有安马勒·巴特纳, 气候风险解决方案领导, 企业解决方案, 瑞士再保险.
在这个小组讨论期间, 理查德·曼利 shed light on the driving force behind regulation, emphasizing a 市场 failure where few companies have boards actively overseeing executives' identification and integration of material issues within their businesses. Annemarie Buettner suggested that employing economic models to predict the future impact of natural disasters can aid in better cost accounting and mitigation efforts. Although managing disclosures can be challenging and burdensome, it represents a crucial step in addressing this 市场 failure to achieve a just and sustainable transition.
The panel extended this discussion by exploring the rapid shifts in societal expectations placed on businesses in our digitally connected world. Recognizing and proactively addressing risks is imperative for long-term success. Regulatory initiatives designed to raise awareness about climate risks were highlighted as essential and capable of yielding a favorable return on investment, ultimately benefiting both businesses and society.
下一个。”From Adversity to Opportunity: Creating a Positive Feedback Loop with 气候 Policies," featured a conversation between Roger Martella, 通用电气首席正规博彩十大网站排名官, 还有珍妮·多德森, PAMM/WBCSD高级总监.
在这个讨论中, Roger Martella 还有珍妮·多德森 highlighted positive examples of the transforming relationship between government and business. 在欧盟(EU), there is a comprehensive overhaul of the economy underway in response to pending and forthcoming regulations. 同时, 在美国, the Inflation Reduction Act is exceeding expectations with its impact on the energy transition. 尽管面临挑战和不确定性, credit was given to administration officials for their swift actions in formulating rules that favor rapid investment and scaling within this evolving landscape.
第三,“Building a Fit-for-Purpose Carbon Performance and Accountability System" featured contributions from Pepijn Rijvers, 执行副总裁, WBCSD, 和Anna Stanley-Radiere一起, 气候透明度主任, WBCSD, 及关颖珊, Director of 气候行动 and Accountability, WBCSD.
Primarily due to the absence of a robust, universally accepted carbon performance framework, the current carbon performance and accountability system presents a challenging and complex framework for companies to navigate effectively. This discussion highlighted the significant hurdles businesses encounter in obtaining the recognition they deserve.
在最后的讨论中，”Social Performance: Elevating Ambition, Driving Collective Action, and Strengthening Accountability," industry leaders emphasized the critical role of addressing inequality and social-related risks in future-proofing businesses and meeting evolving stakeholder expectations. 该小组邀请了David Eichberg, VP, ESG Strategy at Mastercard; Meredith Sumpter, CEO of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism; and Ajaita Shah, Frontier Markets首席执行官.
此次会议旨在揭示这些风险, 强调优先行动领域, 展示突破障碍的策略, and update on progress regarding financial disclosures related to inequality and social issues. 拜伦·皮茨(Byron Pitts)提供了美国.S. regional context for social justice and responsible business, presenting the Business Commission to Tackle Inequality (BCTI) Action Agenda and encouraging participant perspectives on business's role in addressing 股本-related challenges. Ajaita spotlighted action areas like ‘Access to Essential Products and Services’ and stressed a systems approach for driving inclusive growth in rural 市场s. David built on Ajaita’s intervention by speaking to Mastercard's role in providing financial access through strategic partnerships and stressed the importance of inclusive design for sustainable scalability. Meredith highlighted how businesses are adopting a DEI lens to tap into 市场 opportunities and underscored the need for a comprehensive language that focuses on the business value of meeting societal needs.
The session concluded by debating ways in which the private sector can play a role in addressing persistent social inequalities. 在关闭, the WBCSD’s Equity Imperative team shared its desire to formally extend the BCTI in January 2024, giving itself 18 months to scale its impact and reach by delivering on a 10-point action agenda it published in May of this year. An important element of this is the planned launch of the Taskforce for Inequality & Social Impact Financial Disclosures (TISFD), a social- and inequality-focused Taskforce for 市场 disclosures and counterpart to TCFD and TNFD. The TISFD strives to enhance the value of and insight into a corporation’s social performance and is designed to ultimately improve last mile outcomes for marginalized communities. The initiative is set to launch in the first half of 2024.
结束语及感想
会议结束, Dominic invited Byron to share his observations and key takeaways from the proceedings. Byron addressed the audience by highlighting the dominant areas in news coverage: the economy, 环境, 股本, 比赛, 和文化. He emphasized that these areas offer opportunities for us to effectively tell our stories, 声明“WBCSD members can engage the media with compelling human stories, 同时向媒体提供可靠的数据, 事实和统计数据.”
