🎙️ 🌱 Sustainability Bridges – Episode 19

👉 In this episode, Nora Sandahl, Head of Sustainability at Datia, and Aleksandra Palinska discuss the implementation of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), the related opportunities as well as the challenges. They also talk about the broader SFDR review and what can be done to improve the SFDR in the future.

👥 Datia is a climate fintech company that offers automation services to optimise sustainable finance reporting, ESG analysis and helps investors' transition to sustainable finance, serving asset managers, asset owners, wealth advisors, and tech platforms with a client base of over €200B+ in assets under management.

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

🎙️ 🌱 Sustainability Bridges – Episode 18

👉 In this episode, Allan Jorgensen, Head of the OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct, and Aleksandra Palinska, Eurosif Executive Director, discuss the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (MNE) on Responsible Business Conduct and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) which is in the final stages of negotiations among the EU institutions.

👥 Allan has two decades of experience working on sustainable business and finance in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining the OECD, he was Head of Sustainable Trade at global logistics giant A.P. Moller-Maersk and Head of Human Rights and Business at the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

🎤 In the podcast, Allan explains the significance of the OECD’s MNE Guidelines as a global framework for responsible business conduct and human rights. He also speaks about the specific guidance for financial institutions that was developed based on established best practices in the sector, covering both upstream and downstream value chain. Allan highlights the importance of regional regulatory developments like the CSDDD to ensure that environmental and human rights due diligence is effectively enacted and implemented, based on the principles reflected in the OECD guidelines.

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

🎙️ 🌱 Sustainability Bridges – Episode 17

👉 In this episode, Hadewych Kuiper, Managing Director of Triodos Investment Management and Aleksandra Palinska, Eurosif Executive Director, speak about the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the review of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).

👥 Hadewych joined Triodos in 2013, serving as Commercial Director before being appointed Managing Director in 2022. In addition to her role at Triodos, Hadewych is also a Board Member of the Netherlands Advisory Board on impact investing.

🎤 As part of the discussion, Hadewych reiterates the importance of including financial institutions in the scope of the CSDDD and explains how these institutions can effectively perform environmental and human rights due diligence.

👉 Hadewych emphasised that the requirement to adopt transition plans including climate targets is a crucial component of this Directive, and that the obligation to implement them is a necessity to turn long-term pledges into concrete action.

👉 On SFDR, Hadewych highlights that this regulation significantly increased transparency on sustainability matters in investment decisions while underlining the fact that changes are needed to ensure capitals flows are further shifted to more sustainable companies.

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

🎙️ 🌱 Sustainability Bridges – Episode 16

👉 In this episode, Richard Kooloos, Global Head of Social Impact & Human Rights at the ABN AMRO Sustainability Centre of Excellence, and Aleksandra Palinska, Eurosif Executive Director, speak about the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (#CSDDD). Richard describes the main components of the directive, explains why it is important to have them embedded in the EU law, and clarifies how financial institutions, particularly banks, can effectively perform due diligence through value chain.

👥 In addition to his role at ABN AMRO, Richard is also Chairman of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Banking Environment Initiative and Chairman of the Sustainability platform of the Dutch Banking Association. Richard was also previously Director of Group Sustainability at ABM AMRO and the CEO of ABN AMRO Greenbank.

🎤 As part of the discussion, Richard highlights the historical significance of the CSDDD as a watershed piece of legislation that is likely to become a global standard. He emphasises the importance of including the financial sector, including banks, in the directive’s scope and explains how banks can benefit from that.

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

🎙️ 🌱 Sustainability Bridges – Episode 15

👉 In this episode Aleksandra Palinska and special guest, Lisa Hayles, Director of International Shareholder Advocacy at Trillium Asset Management, discuss Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) and how to promote it through investments. Lisa also elaborates on the definition of climate justice and just transition, investing through the lens of anti-racism and building diversity and inclusion from a racial and ethnic origin perspective as well as related challenges and opportunities, addressing and unpacking the challenging nature of language and framing.

👥 Lisa has more than 20 years’ experience advising institutional and individual investors on sustainable investing approaches in North America and Europe and is a frequent speaker on gender equality and racial justice. Beyond her work with Trillium, Lisa is co-founder of the Racial Justice Investing Coalition and sits on the board of the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility.

🎤 As part of the discussion, Lisa asserted that investors can and should play a role in addressing systemic challenges and barriers to incorporating and promoting JEDI.

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

🎙️🌱 Sustainability Bridges – Episode 14

👉 In this episode Aleksandra Palinska and special guest, Professor Lokke Moerel, one of the world’s best-known privacy & cyber advisors, discuss the importance, benefits and challenges of collecting and disclosing corporate data on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and how to carry this out in compliance with GDPR.

👥 Prof. Moerel is a lawyer in the global Privacy & Security team of Morrison & Foerster, and member of its ESG Steering Committee. She is also professor of Global Technology and Law at Tilburg University, a member of the Dutch Cyber Security Council (the advisory body of the Dutch cabinet on cybersecurity), and a member of the Monitoring Committee of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.

📖 Prof. Moerel is also the leading global expert on Binding Corporate Rules (BCR) and authored a textbook which is considered the best publication on the topic.

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

🎙️ 🌱 Sustainability Bridges – Episode 13

👉 In this episode, Aleksandra Palinska and special guest, Philippe Zaouati, Founder and CEO of Mirova, discuss the challenges fund managers face when making sustainable investment decisions, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and the development of the sustainable finance agenda in the EU and around the world.

👥 Mirova is a leading sustainable investment and asset management firm and a pioneer in sustainable finance that has developed its own internationally recognised certification system, the BCorpTM certification label.

🎤 Philippe questioned some of the latest changes to the first set of ESRS, in particular that too much leeway has been given to the reporting companies regarding disclosing information which investors absolutely need for their investment decisions and to prepare their own sustainability-related disclosures.

In this context, together with 90+ companies, Mirova

👉 Read the joint letter here

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

🎙️ 🌱Sustainability Bridges – Episode 12

👉 In this episode Aleksandra Palinska and special guest, Will Martindale, discuss the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), global sustainability reporting standards developed by ISSB, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the evolution of the sustainable finance regulatory framework in the EU and beyond.

👥 Will Martindale is Co-Head of sustainability at Cardano, a risk and investment specialist, and also Head of Sustainability at NOW:

🎤 As part of the discussion, Will stressed the importance of increasing the availability of quality, comparable and reliable ESG data on investee companies. In this context, together with 90+ companies, Cardano co-signed the investor and financial industry letter by Eurosif, EFAMA, PRI, IIGCC and UNEPFI calling for ambitious European Sustainability Reporting Standards #ESRS

👉 Read the joint letter here

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

🎙️ 🌱Sustainability Bridges – Episode 11
👉 In this episode, Nora Sandahl, Vlada Olivia Wester and Aleksandra Palinska discuss the challenges and opportunities of implementing the EU Taxonomy Regulation and the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) for companies as well as disclosure and availability of ESG data in general.

👥 Nora is Head of Sustainability, and Vlada Head of Product at Datia, a Fintech company that offers automation to optimize sustainable finance reporting and ESG analysis for asset managers, wealth managers and other financial market participants.

🎤 They share the advantages and difficulties FMPs experience with sustainable finance, what developments they expect in the future and why automation will be crucial. 

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🎙️ 🌱 Sustainability Bridges - Episode 10

👉 In this episode, Sirpa Pietikäinen and Aleksandra Palinska discuss the EU

👥 Sirpa has been a member of the European Parliament since 2008

🎤 Sirpa Pietikäinen shares her views on what is needed to make

🎧 Enjoy listening!