The year seems to be flying by – how can it possibly be October already? Unfortunately, and predictably, the change in seasons has brought fresh concerns about virus resurgence here in the UK, as in many places. But on the other hand, we are seeing so much new activity and innovation across the sustainable business space that, even if we may have no idea when we will all be returning to the office, excitement about sustainability and ESG seems undiminished.
We’ve been incredibly busy at Sancroft virtual HQ during September helping our clients keep up with it all. This month, our roundup of highlights, events and developments includes a host of new initiatives as well as forward-thinking perspectives from industry and investors about the future – and how quickly it will arrive.
Beginning with regulations: the UK government has launched a consultation on proposed measures aimed at reducing and eliminating deforestation in supply chains, affecting materials such as soy, cocoa, rubber, palm oil, beef and leather. Deforestation is a major driver of climate change and biodiversity loss, so has been rightly prioritised for scrutiny and action. Businesses may be obliged to demonstrate the steps they take to document the supply chain where these and other key commodities are concerned. Read Senior Analyst Robyn Lockyer’s analysis here.
The next development we are looking at this month is a new proposed standard under consideration by the CFA Institute, the financial management professional association, which covers how to communicate in respect of specific financial products with an ESG element. By making the language more consistent, and clarifying what any given product aims to achieve and how, this could potentially make the selection of products, services and fund managers easier for those investors looking to take steps to integrate ESG. Senior Analyst Michael Bateson, Consultant Ivo Dimov and I share our thoughts here.
We were pleased to co-host two events during September, and share the takeaways in this month’s newsletter. We convened a fantastic panel of industry experts to discuss the future of the fashion sector – in both luxury and value segments, and around the world, the issues include circular business models and impact management far up the value chain, among others. Read Analyst Rachel Horigan’s summary here.
And second, we were joined again by leading law firm Ashurst, environmental consultancy RSK, and Aviva Investors in a panel discussing how the energy transition is affecting the infrastructure markets, and vice versa. This is the second in our ESG series with Ashurst and RSK, and you can read the takeaways here.
Our next upcoming ESG event will examine supply chain resilience and sustainability in the face of recent challenges, and identify what companies can do about such issues. We’re currently finalising the panel and will have more information soon – please get in touch to register your interest.
As we speed along toward 2021, I hope the changing seasons sees you well, energised and excited about the opportunities to come.
At Sancroft we seek to challenge business to think differently and to make sustainable profits they can be proud of. I hope our insights inform and inspire you to drive change in your organisation. Please do get in touch to find out how we can help.
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