With the departure of nearly a dozen US and Canadian banks from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance in the past few months, is the future of sustainable finance hanging in balance? And what is the verdict on how far and well the green transition is advancing?

This week on the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Antonio Ballabriga, Global Head for Sustainability Intelligence and Advocacy at BBVA, the Spanish multinational bank that has been working on sustainability and sustainable finance for almost 20 years.

Together they discussed why BBVA has bucked the trend of banks withdrawing from sustainable finance initiatives, including why it has instead chosen to double down on its sustainability agenda by increasing its sustainable investment twofold to €700 billion over the next five years. You’ll also hear more about:

• Why the Net-Zero Banking Alliance is considering altering its ambition of 1.5C to the minimum ambition of the Paris Agreement (below 2C),  

• How BBVA’s new concept of an ESG data pack will help companies and investors access all the information they need in one single deck 

• Why the bank decided to make a major investment in green hydrogen 

• Its views on the Omnibus and why it believes mid-caps must be kept in scope of mandatory disclosure 

• A call for policymakers to step up their efforts on sustainable finance to secure the green transition

  
  

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With the Commission’s Omnibus package now being examined and debated in the European Parliament and the Council, the stakes are high for European businesses. How is industry reacting to the Omnibus proposals, and what should they do now?

This week on the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt is joined by Frank Bold’s Julia Otten and Maria Tymtsias, co-founder of the Palau Project and senior sustainability consultant.

Together they discussed the findings of Palau’s recent survey of over 170 businesses on their reaction to the Omnibus proposals, as well as what changes the co-legislators will likely make to the current proposals. You’ll also hear more about:

• What companies think of the Commission’s ‘Stop the clock’ proposal

• The strategic role of the DMA in sustainability reporting 

• Why it’s so important for businesses to make their voices heard right now

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Despite only being in office for less than 100 days, the Trump 2.0 administration has already passed several measures reversing the work of previous governments to fight climate change and embed ESG into the heart of American business practice.

This week on the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt is joined by Anne Kelly, Vice President of Government Relations at Ceres, the NGO which has led advocacy for the sustainability transition in the US for more than 30 years.

Together they discussed what the second Trump administration means for sustainable business, and how those looking to defend ESG from rightwing backlash should respond.

You’ll also hear more about:

• Why the counter-response to Trump 2.0 will look very different to the counter-response to Trump 1.0

• How the investor community may react to Trump’s deregulation push

• How global sustainability standards may help US firms adapt during this anti-ESG environment 

• The reaction of US businesses to last week’s EU Omnibus proposals 

• The critical role of business leadership in responding to Trump’s anti-climate agenda

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As the European Commission prepares to unveil its omnibus proposals to "simplify" the EU sustainability framework, we wonder if there are other ways to make green legislation easier for businesses besides dismantling the system. 

This week on the podcast, Richard Howitt is joined by Donato Calace, SVP Market Leader, Partnerships & Innovation at Datamaran as well as a member of EFRAG’s Expert Working Group on EU Sustainability Reporting Standard. 

Together they discuss ESG data and how to scale up those solutions to help support companies need in their reporting exercise. You’ll also hear more about: 

• The need to evaluate the current sustainability reporting based on evidence and practice before making changes to the #CSRD or #CSDDD

• Data and data management systems as tools to simplify sustainability requirement implementation

• How big developments in data will reshape how insights are formed

• Donato’s work on #materiality and the misunderstanding that still exists between finance and sustainability in the business

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On the podcast this week, we’re back with a full length conversation on the Omnibus proposal, which has been causing uncertainty over Europe’s sustainability reporting, due diligence and sustainable finance laws.

Richard Howitt and Filip Gregor look back at our “Frankly Speaking on Sustainability and Competitiveness” organised in Brussels at the end of January. Some of the top policy makers, experts and practitioners engaged in a constructive conversation on what simplification should look like. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

As Richard reminds our business listeners in the episode, ensure that you are aligned with what the business association you are a member of is saying on your behalf in Brussels.

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** Register to the Conference on Sustainability & Competitiveness! Seats are filling fast for this high-impact discussion! Join us in Brussels or online on January 30th. Reserve your spot now: https://www.eventbrite.be/e/frankly-speaking-on-sustainability-and-competitiveness-tickets-1104355540149?aff=oddtdtcreator

In the podcast today, we tackle a very big issue in the sustainability world: data in supply chains. 

How can companies get the data which they need from suppliers, when and when not to use estimates? Is data authentic in measuring impact on people and the planet? Is it all about big companies in the Global North or can the data have value to suppliers themselves worldwide? Is legislation asking too much?

Richard Howitt addresses those questions (and more!) with two brilliant guests this week:

Natalie Grillon, CEO and Executive Director of Open Supply Hub, a supply chain platform committed to the principle of open data in which more than 1500 organizations now share their supply chain data in the world's largest open map of global supply chain.

Tara Scally, CSR Specialist at Zeeman, clothing retailer based in the Netherlands and which has 1300 retail stores across seven European countries.

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In this special edition of the podcast, Richard Howitt sits down with Filip Gregor, head of Responsible Companies at Frank Bold to invite you to our upcoming conference on Sustainability & Competitiveness that will highlight why the Omnibus, portrayed by some as a tidying up exercise to get rid of duplication, should be seen as something more serious than that.

Omnibus regulation preparation is in the hot stage. The Commission is set to unveil its proposals in February, yet the negotiations remain secretive and shrouded in speculation.

Germany is aggressively lobbying to unravel the CSRD, which is challenging the entire EU ESG agenda.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of EU companies have already invested in implementation and do not know what to expect. Sustainability leaders are warning against the loss of trust and pointing out the critical role that these legislation have for sustainability, capital markets and EU businesses success.

Is the EU ESG framework a scapegoat or the culprit of the EU and German economic slowdown?

What has the sudden 180˚ turn on sustainability, and the economic problems, have to do with betting on cheap Russian gas and Chinese market in the past decades? And why do the BRICS call EU ESG laws ‘discriminatory protectionist measures under pretext of environmental concerns’ that distort competition?

At our January 30th conference, we’ll tackle the above pressing questions with leading experts and businesses, and:

Seats are filling fast for this high-impact discussion! Join us in Brussels or online on January 30th.

Reserve your spot now: https://www.eventbrite.be/e/frankly-speaking-on-sustainability-and-competitiveness-tickets-1104355540149?aff=oddtdtcreator

2025 starts the same way 2024 ended: with a shifting political landscape.

While Trump was re-elected in the US, the new European Commission announced an Omnibus proposal that would serve its simplification agenda. These events raise concerns about the backlash against the environmental and sustainability policies adopted in the last 5 years to ensure the green transition of the economy.

But what is really going on? How much do we have to worry and how should those committed to the sustainability transition in business respond to this threat?

This week on the podcast, Richard Howitt is joined by Alberto Alemanno, academic and founder of The Good Lobby and Patrizia Heidegger, deputy secretary general and Director for European Governance, Sustainability and Global Policies at the European Environment Bureau. Together they offer insights on the implementation of the EU Green Deal and on what environmentalists should be prepared to do to push forward the just transition.

You will hear more about:

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Is China making its green stride forward?

As the world faces the dual challenges of addressing climate change and navigating geopolitical tensions, cooperation on climate goals is under threat. China’s role in green technology has made it a vital player, but it is also increasingly seen as a rival, or even a threat, by other global powers.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have become the latest flashpoint, with the United States and European Union imposing punitive tariffs on Chinese EV imports, intensifying trade disputes.

This week on the podcast, Richard Howitt speaks with Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis and Bruegel Senior Fellow, joining from Hong Kong. Drawing on her extensive expertise, Alicia discusses how the EU can navigate its growing reliance on Chinese green tech and craft a competitive industrial strategy.

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As the UN Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights wraps up today, we’re diving into a pressing question: What are companies really doing to respect human rights?

More importantly, is this less about policies and performance metrics and more about company culture, shaping not just what a business does, but how it operates at its core?

This week in Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt receives Anna Triponel, a human rights expert with experience of working with hundreds of companies worldwide. Anna is the founder and CEO of Human Level, which works to “bring business back to the human level”.

You’ll hear more about: 

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