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Corporations losing the culture wars — Angela Hofmann
Angela Hofmann: Corporations Losing The Culture Wars | Top Risks 2022 | GZERO Media

Corporations losing the culture wars — Angela Hofmann

For Angela Hofmann, practice head for Industrial & Consumer at Eurasia Group, the world's most visible brands are in for a very rocky year.

Navigating culture wars will be very tricky, as well as fighting with competing demands from consumers, employees, and regulators on issues like China, diversity, and voting rights.

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Episode 10: Can private companies lead the way on climate action?

Transcript

Listen: With bold commitments coming from both political and business leaders around the globe, 2021 could be a critical year in the fight against climate change. As sustainable investing moves from being a nice idea to a necessary move, what does it mean for your bottom line?

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The Graphic Truth: The global sustainable investment surge

As more investors back responsible businesses and funds, the growth of assets under management that are ESG-compliant (under one standard or another) has been soaring in recent years. What's more, the geographic scope of this market is growing. A few years ago it was mainly big in Europe , but it's now picking up fast in the US and expanding to Asia, driving a massive boost this year alone. Why? By throwing a glaring spotlight on global inequality, the thinking goes, the pandemic has been a major driver of investment that focuses less on hard profits and more on socially and environmentally responsible capital management. Will this sustainability surge carry on next year? We take a look at ESG investment's upward trend over the past eight years — globally and by region.

What We’re Watching: The politics of ESG, the priorities of “Renewable China”, and the Big Losers in all of this

The future of ESG: Global investor interest in supporting sustainable companies has soared in recent years. But how do you define "sustainable"? One widely used criteria is ESG, which stands for "environmental, societal, and (corporate) governance." The catch, however, is that there still isn't a uniform definition of ESG criteria and regulation across different markets. For example, the EU and the US — home to the largest financial markets in the world — still disagree on the basic question of whether pension funds can classify or not. Meanwhile, outside of these two markets and some parts of Asia, the concept of ESG is relatively scarce in much of the developing world. So, what about China, where the sustainable investment market remains virtually untapped? If the Chinese join the party, it could be a game-changer. The larger the ESG market, the more lucrative it can be — and the better that is for society and the planet. But that means that the world's three largest economies, which hardly see eye-to-eye on anything these days, will have to agree on common standards for global ESG investment to truly take off. We're watching to see if and how that might happen.

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GZERO Summit on sustainability: COVID-19’s promise on ESG
GZERO Summit on Sustainability | GZERO Summit

GZERO Summit on sustainability: COVID-19’s promise on ESG

The forced slowdown of global economic activity due to the coronavirus pandemic has slashed carbon emissions around the world, opening a unique opportunity to make real progress in the fight against climate change. But there is fear that it won't be enough, and the world will go back to its old ways when we get rid of COVID-19. However, even before the public health crisis, some major emitters had already taken ambitious steps to rethink how to make their own policies more sustainable.

In Canada, the prominence of oil in the economy doesn't mean that it should hide from the existential challenge of climate change. Fossil fuel profits make Canada not only more responsible but gives the nation the resources to commit to a bold climate policy, Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O'Regan said during a panel discussion on sustainability at the 2020 GZERO Summit in Japan.

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Episode 9: Can sustainable investing save our planet?

Transcript

Listen: Benjamin Franklin famously called on American business leaders more than two centuries ago to "Do well by doing good." To him, that meant creating companies that were not just about the bottom line, but also that helped foster happier and healthier communities. Now, as 2021 approaches and the world recovers from the greatest crisis of our lifetimes, sustainable investing is a bigger discussion than ever. What does it mean, and how does it not only help the environment and societies but also build your bottom line? That's the topic of the latest episode of Living Beyond Borders.

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Investing in diversity: How public companies can promote inclusivity
Investing in Diversity: How Public Companies Can Promote Inclusivity | Money In :60 | GZERO Media

Investing in diversity: How public companies can promote inclusivity

Betty Liu, Executive Vice Chairman for NYSE Group, provides her perspective:

What role does diversity play in investing?

So, diversity has played an increasingly important role in investing. In an earlier episode, I talked about ESG - that's environmental, social and governance - and ESG factoring more into investment decisions. Diversity is a key component of ESG. It's seen as crucial in looking at good governance and good decision making. So, a growing number of investors are looking at diversity as a metric to show whether or not this company is worthy to invest in.

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The Future of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
The Future of ESG | Why Businesses Need to Invest in Social Goals | Business In :60 | GZERO Media

The Future of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)

Kevin Sneader, global managing partner for McKinsey & Company, provides perspective on how corporate business leaders should reassess their approach to ESG criteria.

What's going to happen to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)?

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