NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

ESG (environmental, social, and governance) is a material risk framework many businesses, investors and observers use to better manage businesses and investments. In addition, businesses regularly engage with and act on wider social and environmental externalities, through changes to their core business models and processes, and/or through philanthropic programmes. But how do we best communicate this?Scepticism is arising around ESG: with some questioning whether businesses are overreaching their fiduciary duties, and others challenging whether businesses can deliver on their societal commitments. A particular criticism arises around the continually evolving nature of ESG, and related concepts such as corporate responsibility, sustainability and CSR that can lead to a lack of clarity and difficulties in robustly comparing one business’s activities with another’s.This online written discussion aims to bring together leading thinking and best practice on how to communicate business alongside social, environmental and governance issues. We invite you all to contribute. Share your insights and suggestions. The full discussion will then be summarised and shared so that you have a practical take-away on how we better communicate the benefits of embedding ESG.Questions:

Panel

• Diana Best, Senior Finance Strategist, The Sunrise Project
• Abir Chowdhury, URC
• Amber Kiani, Head Of Partnerships, MovingWorlds
• Chioma Izuwah, Business Fights Poverty Community Member
• Ewan Livingston-Docwra Ewan Strategist, BTeam
• Flora von Michel, Business Fights Poverty Community Member
• Haron Muturi|, Wake and Shine SHG, Junior Leader, Tharaka Nithi
• João Maria Botelho, Researcher NOVA Business and Human Rights and Environment Research and Board Advisor, NOVA Green Lab
• Sherif Muçalla, Researcher, Albania
• Paul Rissman, Co-founder, Rights CoLab
• Tolu Seun, Business Fights Poverty Community Member
• Meredith Sumpter, Inclusive Capitalism
• Elizabeth Waweru, Research and Policy Officer, The Youth Cafe

Moderator: Katie Hyson, Business Fights Poverty

Questions

1. How can we better articulate the benefits of managing environmental, social and governance issues for businesses and wider stakeholders?
2. What are best practice examples and where are the pitfalls we must avoid?
3. How can we better work together to ensure joined-up narratives?

Format

This is a text-based discussion which remains open, so please do continue to share your insights.

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