Regulation, supply chains, climate justice, employee burnout: The big challenges facing sustainability professionals

Last week, a few thousand sustainability professionals gathered for the annual GreenBiz conference hosted by GreenBiz Group. In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we're on the ground talking with panelists and attendees about the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the space — from regulation, disclosure requirements and supply chains to environmental justice, employee wellbeing and burnout.

Many attendees expressed frustration and a general sense of being overwhelmed by the pace of change and the challenges facing the sustainability space. In the face of this uncertainty, the message from many panelists was: Whatever the topic, you have to start somewhere.

We hear from Kentaro Kawamori, CEO of climate software firm Persefoni, who urges companies to avoid "analysis paralysis."

"You've just got to get started. And if you're searching for perfect, you're never going to find it," Kentaro says.

We talk to Deloitte's Kristen Sullivan and Evan Harvey, who led a three-hour, standing-room-only climate disclosure bootcamp at the conference to help companies understand how proposed rules from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could impact them.

"As we were wrapping up, we were trying to get a pulse on the audience in terms of... did this help you feel more prepared, this type of a session?" Kristen says. "The answer was 'yes — and at the same time, I'm really scared.'"

We also speak to Yinka Bode-George, CEO of environmental justice-focused nonprofit Sustain our Future Foundation.

"People are getting the idea that environmental justice is not just this nice-to-have, it's actually a really central component of winning on the climate crisis and putting forward the most effective solutions," Yinka tells us.

In the episode, we also sit down with Tim Mohin, the former CEO of international standards organization the Global Reporting Initiative, or GRI; Nasdaq Global Head of ESG Solutions Randall Hopkins; UPS Sustainability Director Stakeholder Engagement Elba Pareja-Gallagher; Zack Parisa, CEO of forest carbon marketplace the Natural Capital Exchange, or NCX; and Jared Connors from supply chain sustainability management company Assent.

S&P Global Sustainable1 was a sponsor of the GreenBiz conference.

Listen to our episode on the SEC's climate disclosure rule here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/unpacking-implications-of-the-sec-s-proposed-climate-disclosure-rule

We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).

Photo source: Getty Images

Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global

DISCLAIMER

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.

S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.