Current financial accounting methods are responsible for causing environmental and social harm across the world – but how can this be remedied? 

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Jeremy Nicholls, co-founder and former Chief Executive of Social Value International and Ashoka Fellow at the University of Liverpool. Jeremy previously worked for PwC as well as on the United Nations Development Programme’s SDG Impact Standards. 

Together they discussed Jeremy’s new book ‘The Accountancy Paradox: How Financial Accounting is Damaging the World (But Can Help Repair It)’ 

You’ll also hear about: 

• The history of accounting and the moment which solidified it around users’ expectation of financial returns rather than external social and environment costs 

• Why Jeremy believes current ESG approaches including sustainability reporting don’t really solve the heart of the problem  

• Practical solutions to how to fix the financial accounting system, including revising its conceptual framework to include wellbeing accounting  

• Why the argument that externalities should be internalised is more important than ever in today’s world  

• The role of lack of faith, spirituality and moral codes in human-caused environmental and social harm  

Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube! 

How can businesses help to protect freshwater ecosystems, biodiversity, and habitats? 

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Andreas Beckmann, Regional CEO at WWF Central and Eastern Europe, which works on protecting ecosystems and habitats in Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine. 

Together they discussed the business case for action on nature and how WWF-CEE has worked with companies such as the Coca-Cola Company and Tesco on conservation and restoration of rivers and wetlands in the region. 

You’ll also hear about: 

• WWF-CEE's award-winning work on the Living Danube Partnership to protect the EU’s longest river  

• The implications of the Ukraine war on the country’s protected environmental spaces, with around 40% of them being damaged  

• How Central and Eastern Europe is the ‘green heart’ of Europe and why its precious biodiversity urgently needs to be protected  

• Andreas’s message to EU lawmakers working on the Water Framework Directive and Nature Restoration Regulation 

• The balancing act environmental NGOs face in having genuine partnerships with companies whilst also being free to criticise and hold them to account 

Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!  

How has Germany’s national due diligence legislation been working so far? 

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Finn Schufft, Corporate Responsibility Officer at Germanwatch and Emirali Karadoğan, Researcher and Trade Union Expert for the Turkish trade union Tez-Koop-İş, that was featured in Germanwatch’s report on the main impacts so far of the German supply chain act. 

Together they discussed the key findings of the Germanwatch report, including the crucial challenge of enforceability of due diligence legislation. You’ll also hear about: 

• How the German law directly helped to support the right to freedom of association in Turkey  

• Why due diligence is so important in protecting and enforcing good labour standards, and why ILO conventions, OECD national guidelines and local labour laws are not enough 

• The impact of the CSDDD replacing the LkSG in Germany, especially in terms of companies covered 

• How debates on responsible business are advancing in Turkey  

• Finn’s overarching message to Europe based on the study’s findings  

Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!  

What does the proposed European Grid Package mean for the future of the energy industry? 

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Alina Laszlo-Orth, Head of EU Affairs at E.ON and Tereza Fialová, lawyer at the Responsible Energy Team at Frank Bold. 

Together they discussed the European Commission’s EU Grid Package, and whether it goes far enough in guaranteeing the energy transition in Europe. You’ll also hear about: 

• E.ON’s progress on expanding their use of renewables – with the company recently hitting the milestone of two million renewable assets being connected into their German grid  

• What the EU Grid Package will mean for energy companies like E.ON 

• Why the grid urgently needs to be modernised in order to ensure a sufficient supply of affordable, clean and secure energy  

• Why the grid’s existing ‘first come, first served’ principle should be replaced by ‘first ready, first served,’ according to Responsible Energy’s report on how to improve the grid in Europe  

• How reducing the cost of energy and supporting the energy transition go hand-in-hand 

• The crucial relationship between the energy transition and greater strategic autonomy on energy for Europe  

Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!  

Do the European Commission’s proposed changes to the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) go far enough in resolving the weaknesses of the original legislation? 

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Leo Donnachie, Senior Policy Specialist, Sustainable Finance at the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change and David Němeček, Senior Sustainable Finance Expert at Responsible Companies, Frank Bold. 

Together they discussed what has and hasn’t worked with the current SFDR from the institutional investor perspective, as well as why the original legislation needed improvement. You’ll also hear about: 

• The main recommendations in Frank Bold’s legal analysis of SFDR 2.0, including on thresholds and new product categories  

• To what extent the strengthened emphasis on exclusions in the Commission’s proposal weakens the impact of the regulation 

• What impact Omnibus 1 has had on investors, and whether it’s created greater alignment with companies  

• What SFDR needs to really shift the dial on sustainable finance: effective accompanying policy measures, from the Savings and Investments Union to the Clean Industrial Deal  

Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!  

In a post-Omnibus 1 European sustainability landscape, what does the new role of the Chief Sustainability Officer look like? 

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Anna Miazga, Chief Sustainability Officer of mBank Poland, which is the country’s fifth largest bank in terms of assets. 

Together they discussed why mBank is staying steadfast to its sustainability commitments and strategies in the current climate of retrenchment from ESG issues, and why the business case for sustainability is more relevant than ever. You’ll also hear about: 

• MBank's transition plan, including the importance of being honest about the obstacles and barriers the bank faces and how it is planning to tackle them 

• The importance of not forgetting the ‘S’ in ESG – and the bank’s priority of improving the resilience and financial health of its customers 

• Anna’s take on the European Commission’s proposed changes to the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) 

• Anna’s advice to new Chief Sustainability Officers coming into the job 

Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube! 

Often the weaker side of current corporate sustainability practice, governance – the ‘G’ in ESG – covers everything from how decisions are made, to transparency, oversight and accountability within company boards. But as an essential component of companies' journey to net zero, how can they better integrate sustainability into the heart of their business? 

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Emily Farnworth, CEO of Chapter Zero Alliance, an NGO supporting board directors across 70 countries to lead on climate and nature governance. 

Together they discussed Chapter Zero Alliance’s new Principles for Climate and Nature Governance in partnership with the World Economic Forum, and how they can help board directors across the world in their sustainability governance processes. You’ll also hear about: 

• Why progress has been slow in sustainability governance, and what needs to change  

• How companies can make sustainability an authentic part of business strategy 

• The importance of board attitudes and mindset towards stakeholders in the new Principles  

• How intergenerational conversations on sustainability within family-owned businesses is sparking change within corporate governance  

• Emily’s one question to board members and senior management within companies to make effective sustainability governance a reality  

Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!

How can companies better integrate worker-centred approaches to their due diligence processes? 

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Benjamin Claeson, Programme Officer at the Value Chains Unit at Swedwatch and author of the report “Overdue Diligence” on worker-centred due diligence, as well as Babul Akhter, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Garments & Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF). 

Together they discussed why current efforts towards corporate due diligence are failing to adequately protect workers and communities globally, and how stronger engagement with worker-centred approaches can help bridge this gap. You’ll also hear about: 

• The general position of workers in Bangladesh 

• Examples of companies that are already imbedding worker-centred approaches in their due diligence mechanisms at different points in their supply chain  

• The severe funding shortfall in worker-centred approaches to due diligence currently and why better financing is so important in protecting workers and communities across the world 

• Whether the Accord following the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh succeeded, and what has followed since  

• Benjamin and Babul’s message to European companies  

Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube! 

As the European Commission now prepares a Delegated Act for the new European Sustainability Reporting Standards, how should we reflect back on the entire simplification process conducted by the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG)? 

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Patrick de Cambourg, the outgoing chair of EFRAG and former president of the French accounting standard-setting public authority ANC. 

Together they reflected upon the early preparations for the European sustainability reporting standards, as well as the behind-the-scenes of the simplification exercise conducted last year. You’ll also hear about: 

• Whether the Brussels effect is still alive  

• The biggest disagreements within EFRAG during the simplification process, and how they were overcome  

• The variation between the new ESRS and the International Sustainability Standards Board global standards 

• Patrick’s vision for how sustainability reporting will develop in the future  

• His parting message to EFRAG 

Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube! 

Sustainability reporting, sustainable finance, business and human rights – where are we now in Europe and globally on these three major issues? 

In this special 100th edition of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Rachel Davis, Vice President and Co-Founder of the Shift Project, Wim Bartels, Senior Sustainability Partner for Europe at Deloitte and Filip Gregor, Head of Responsible Companies Section at Frank Bold. 

Together they debated what’s in store in this next phase of corporate sustainability in Europe and discussed what change they are each bringing to the sustainability world in their work. You’ll also hear about: 

• To what extent sustainable finance is still on track  

• Rachel’s verdict on the actual state of play of human rights due diligence across the world  

• The leitmotif of US diplomacy, and what it means for Europe  

• The progression of corporate sustainability and due diligence legislation in Asia, and its implications  

• Rachel, Wim and Filip’s favourite Frankly Speaking podcast episodes  

Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!