What is happening with ESG?

ESG — which stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance — has become increasingly important as businesses recognize their responsibility to prioritize environmental and social investments.

Over the past few months, ESG has come under fire as politicians challenge whether ESG factors should be considered by investment managers and state pension funds. With the threat of being labeled “woke,” companies are looking for counsel on how they can maintain their commitments to environmental and social impact without being brought into the ESG fray.

We invited two business leaders to explain the ESG controversy and provide their insight to business leaders: Judy Samuelson, VP, Founder, and Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program; and David Young, Managing Director and Senior Partner of Boston Consulting Group.

Listen for insights on:

Why the ESG controversy is happening nowHow the industry can shift the conversation away from politics and to better businessHow businesses can hold themselves accountable with no single, accepted standard for ESG reportingWhy Boards are critical to advance ESG

Resources + Links:

Judy Samuelson’s LinkedInDavid Young’s LinkedInJUST Capital: "5 Key Insights from the American Public to Help Companies and Investors Lead Through Increasing Attacks on ESG and ‘Woke’ Companies"GreenBiz: The first rule about ESG: Don’t talk about ESGJudy’s Book “The Six New Rules of Business: Creating Real Value in a Changing World”
(00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360
(00:13) - State of ESG
(01:11) - Judy's Background
(02:51) - David's Background
(04:03) - What Is ESG?
(07:49) - No One Single Set of Metrics
(09:52) - Telling Your Authentic Story
(12:13) - How Did We Lose Control?
(16:16) - Shifting Away from Politics
(18:28) - What Is a Term?
(22:21) - Talking to DeSantis
(24:10) - Boards
(28:36) - Last Word
(30:17) - Wrap Up