Sustainability Currents

Corporate deliberations on ESG often revolve not only around shareholders, but also the relationships with employees, customers, governments, the local community and even the planet. But sometimes tensions can arise between these various groups, and one stakeholder can be vital to helping corporate managers navigate these challenges: the lawyers. On this episode of ESG Currents, senior ESG Analyst Rob Du Boff is joined by Abigail Gampher Takacs of Bloomberg Law to chat with Danielle Reyes, a partner and co-chair of the ESG & Impact practice at Goodwin Procter, to discuss the legal issues facing corporations and investors. This episode was recorded on Nov. 27.

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Over the past three years, Starbucks has become a notable battleground for the resurgence of the American labor union. Amid continuous pushback from management, the unions are now leveraging a new tool in the fight -- corporate governance.  The Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), a coalition of labor unions, recently began its first activist campaign, seeking three seats on the Starbucks board at the annual meeting this spring. On this episode of ESG Currents, senior ESG analyst Rob Du Boff spoke with Tejal Patel, corporate governance director at SOC Investment Group, to discuss why the unions decided to go active, what it would take to win, and other issues at the intersection of Social and Governance.

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Investor action is foundational to ESG, and Ceres has long been at the forefront of working with capital markets to address sustainability challenges. The Ceres Investor Network includes more than 220 institutional investors with more than $45 trillion in assets, and focuses on climate, water and biodiversity. On this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, the Rev. Kirsten Snow Spalding, Ceres’ Vice President, Investor Network joins Eric Kane, Bloomberg Intelligence’s director of ESG research to discuss Ceres’ theory of change, the power of investor networks, how transition plans will become synonymous with business plans and the fact that when the data isn’t perfect, you still have to act.

This episode was recorded on Oct. 17th.

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Of working Americans, 65% say they live paycheck to paycheck, with 30% saying they run out of money at the end of every month, according to a Harris Poll. Join BI Senior ESG Analyst Andy Stevenson and his guest, MIT Professor of Economic Geography and Regional Planning and founder of the Living Wage Calculator Amy Glasmeier, as they discuss what it means to earn a living wage, what percentage of Americans are living at or below the living wage, and how companies are responding to inflation-driven wage pressures to meet their employees basic needs. The episode was recorded on Oct. 2.

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COP28 wrapped up with some noteworthy outcomes. For the first time, the summit called for a transition away from fossil fuels, which was viewed as historic by some but as insufficient by others. BI had a chance to speak about the event’s successes and shortcomings with numerous experts, including Jeff Sternberg, technical director for the office of the CTO at Google Cloud; Linda-Eling Lee, founding director and head of the MSCI Sustainability Institute; and Angela Homsi, the founder of Ignite Power. Bloomberg Intelligence’s director of ESG research Eric Kane hosts the podcast, and is joined by BI analyst Shaheen Contractor to discuss the outcomes.

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Carbon markets can be an important component of the CO2-reduction tool kit as emissions goals and regulations continue to evolve. KraneShares Head of Climate Investments Luke Olivier joins Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Shaheen Contractor and Eric Kane on this episode of ESG Currents to discuss ways of investing in climate, along with a deep dive into the workings of carbon markets. This episode was recorded on Oct. 23rd.

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2023 saw a record number of shareholder proposals pushing companies to bring environmental and social issues more into focus, and one of the most active in the space has been As You Sow. Founded in 1992, the group bills itself as the nation’s non-profit leader in shareholder advocacy. They have an extensive track record of putting forward resolutions on issues such as energy & climate, social justice, and the circular economy. On this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, BI analyst Rob Du Boff sits down with Danielle Fugere, As You Sow's President & Chief Counsel.

This episode was recorded on Oct. 10.

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The ISSB seeks to bring the rigor of financial accounting to investor-focused sustainability reporting and is proactively involved in consolidating the ESG disclosure landscape, but board members Verity Chegar and Jeff Hales caution that, even with improvements, a complicated world will remain complicated. Jeff and Verity join Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Gail Glazerman and Eric Kane on this episode of ESG Currents to discuss materiality in the context of sustainability reporting, evaluating disclosure vs. actual performance on ESG issues and ISSB’s priorities.

This episode was recorded on Sept. 26, 2023.

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Sustainable fixed-income markets continue to develop with new products, regulations and uses of financing. Bruce Ronbeck, who focuses on sustainable finance in debt capital at Natixis CIB Americas, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior ESG credit analyst Chris Ratti on this episode of the ESG Currents podcast to discuss recent trends, the evolution of the greenium and uses of financing along with challenges facing sustainable fixed income. 

This episode was recorded on Sept. 14.

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Financed emissions and the role banks play in financing carbon-intensive industries have become a focal point of climate discussions. Citigroup has emerged as a leader in this conversation with its approach to transition planning and transparency. On this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Val Smith, Citi’s chief sustainability officer, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s director of ESG research, Eric Kane, to discuss how the company approaches its transition plan, emerging ESG topics and the evolving global regulatory framework.

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