The Sustainability Story

We talk with Terence Barry, Founder and Owner of Brand and Story. We discuss how stories help us understand and explain our world as well as persuade others. We talk about climate change and other environmental challenges we face, and how storytelling can help us spur the action we need.

We talk with John Hoeppner, Head of US Stewardship and Sustainable Investments at LGIM America. We discuss investor stewardship and the state of engagement with public companies around ESG issues. We talk about the impact of these engagements, what we see as burgeoning issues in the ESG world and the differences in investor engagement around the world. 

We talk with Sandy Peters, CPA, CFA, Senior Head, Global Advocacy, CFA Institute and Wes Bricker, Vice-Chair – US Trust Solutions Co-Leader at PwC. We discuss the SEC’s proposed rules about climate-related disclosure and how they will impact investors and companies. We talk about the financial disclosures required, greenhouse gas emissions disclosures and the materiality of climate related information.

We talk with Ben Yeoh, Senior Portfolio Manager, RBC Global Asset Management. Our wide ranging conversation includes discussions of ESG integration, ESG education, demographics, Economist Thomas Malthus, and the future of capitalism. We also talk about current and impending regulation and policy around ESG disclosure as well as the intersection of art and ESG. Listen to his personal podcast, Ben Yeoh Chats https://www.thendobetter.com/podcast Follow him on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-yeoh-445133/ Follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/benyeohben

We talk with Delilah Rothenberg, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Predistribution Initiative. We discuss how the Predistribution Initiative is working with investors to create investment structures and asset allocation strategies that better address systematic risks. We talk about how a focus on how internal standard setting, disclosure, improved governance and financial practices can help build more regenerative investment structures and align practices of investment professionals with their stewardship counterparts. LINK: Visit The Predistribution Initiative website at: https://predistributioninitiative.​org/

We talk with Mervyn Tang, Head of Sustainability Strategy, APAC at Schroders. We discuss what investors should be looking for when analyzing a company’s climate change strategy and decarbonization efforts. We talk about the growing investor interest in the area of natural capital and how Asia sits in the center of many efforts to address investments in biodiversity. LINK: Visit Schroders Talking Point for market news and expert views http://www.​schroders.​com/talkingpoint

We talk with Barbara Davidson, Head of Accounting, Audit and Disclosure at Carbon Tracker Initiative. We discuss Carbon Tracker’s recent report; Flying Blind: The Glaring Absence of Climate Risks in Financial Reporting, which detailed the troublingly low level of consideration of climate risk impacts in financial climate related reporting for some of the most carbon intensive global companies. We talk about the CA100+ Net Zero Company benchmark and its new Climate Accounting and Audit Assessment that aims to bring better transparency to ‘climate accounting’ issues. Finally, we talk about the efforts of regulators and policymakers around the world and what to expect from coming climate-related disclosure initiatives. More on Carbon Tracker at www.carbontracker.org LINKS: https://carbontracker.org/reports/flying-blind-the-glaring-absence-of-climate-risks-in-financial-reporting/

We talk with Olivia Knight, Racial Justice Initiative Manager, As You Sow. We discuss how investors can better track whether companies are walking the walk as well as talking the talk on racial justice and environmental justice issues. We talk about the increase interest in social justice data, and what companies and industries are doing a better job of providing investors with this information. More on As You Sow: https://www.asyousow.org/

We talk with Andrew Watson, Founder and Director, Rethinking Capital. We discuss how accounting, and in particular normative accounting can be used to help address climate change and other sustainability issues. We talk about how the assumptions we make with our accounting systems set the incentives, and how accounting can be used to help incentivize sustainable finance.

We talk with Ken Pucker, Advisory Director at Berkshire Partners and a Senior Lecturer at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. We discuss Ken’s time at Timberland, where he was at the forefront of the company’s social responsibility movement. We talk about the challenges facing the sustainable finance, ESG investing and impact accounting.