Over 90% of plastic is used just once, often for only a few minutes. Yet, it ends up littering our land and oceans, harming wildlife and human health through microplastics.

Next week, the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee will be held in Busan, South Korea, to develop an internationally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. This treaty presents a crucial opportunity to radically reduce plastic usage and waste, while encouraging businesses and individuals to embrace the circular economy.

To shed light on the treaty and its implications, Richard Howitt is joined by Justine Maillot, European Coordinator, and Emma Priestland, Global Corporate Campaigns Coordinator for Break Free from Plastic—a global coalition of 13,000 organizations committed to ending plastic pollution.

In this episode you’ll hear more about:

• Why is plastic such a dramatic issue for the environment: Its effects on climate, biodiversity, pollution, and the human impact of all these factors

• What is the context leading up to the discussions in Busan, South Korea next week

• How businesses are positioning themselves in relation to the treaty

• Why reducing plastic production is essential for the treaty’s success and how the zero-waste hierarchy is a critical element of achieving this goal

• A call for every company to act now to eliminate plastic use and the opportunities available for immediate action.

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Are companies saying one thing about sustainability, but doing something in their political lobbying that is very different?

A new report has just been published today by the sustainable finance pioneer, the Eiris Foundation, as part of a project called Social LobbyMap. It provides detailed and independent research on business lobbying on Europe's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The report is helping to provide the inside story of what was really going on in what was one of the most high profile political pressures on any piece of EU legislation.

To discuss this topic, Richard Howitt welcomes Peter Webster, Chief Executive of the foundation.

In this episode, you’ll hear more about:

• Corporate lobbying and its contribution to watering down the CSDDD

• The companies that do the right thing and how can companies contribute to being positive voices in sustainability

• If trade associations are doing the “dirty work” on behalf of companies

• How this research provides the data and the evidence that investors, civil society and companies themselves can actually use to align on these issues.

... and more!

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Is the role of the corporate chief sustainability officer at a crossroads?

According to the renowned Business for Social Responsibility’s latest report, it is. The report is based on detailed interviews with chief sustainability officers in 31 companies worldwide and represents 30 years of combined experience in responsible business from the report's authors.

To discuss the future of companies’ Chief Sustainability Officer, Richard Howitt welcomes Laura Gitman, one of the report’s co-authors and Chief Impact Officer at Business for Social Responsibility. BSR is the world's oldest sustainability consultancy, and is currently working with a network of 300 businesses.

In today’s Frankly Speaking episode, you will hear more about:

• How has the profession evolved in the last 15 years

• The turbulences that companies and Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) have been facing

• If CSOs are really burnt-out?

• The potential of CSOs to drive the business beyond compliance

• The future of sustainability leadership within companies

... and more!

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How can and should you address entity-specific reporting?

What does a company do when something it thinks is important for its sustainability doesn't fit into a standardised reporting framework in the language of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS)?

Today in Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt is joined by Piotr Biernacki who has been involved in the ESRS right from the beginning in 2020, first as a member of the Project Task Force and now as a member of EFRAG’s Technical Expert Group. Piotr is also ESG Reporting Fellow at Materiality, working with listed companies on sustainability reporting in Poland.

You’ll hear more about:

• What are entity-specific disclosures and why extra information may be necessary for some companies

• Piotr's advice when conducting ones materiality assessment and how to know that an issue is to be reported as an entity-specific information

• How there's still room for companies to tell their sustainability stories in their reports without compromising quality data

• How challenges companies face now regarding the ESRS will diminish over time

• The state of sustainability reporting and sustainability performance of companies in Poland

... and more!

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Will there be a just transition?

How far does the climate crisis affect workers and businesses and what needs to be done about it?

Today in Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt welcomes Jason Judd, executive director of Cornell's Global Labor Institute.

They recently produced a set of 25 social indicators which it believes are measurable and impactful, and which can give certainty to social issues and corporate sustainability reporting. The Institute has also produced research on the impact of extreme weather events on the apparel or fashion industry to understand the real scale of change which is confronting us.

You’ll hear more about:

• What are the impacts of extreme heat or flooding on workers in the apparel sector
• What does it mean in practice and what are the needed investments in climate adaption
• The path for due diligence in the US and in the rest of the world
• How to measure supply chain due diligence and labour metrics
• What would happen for sustainability if Kamala Harris wins?

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Do our ideas about what makes companies competitive actually hinder the shift toward sustainability?

What role do share or stock buybacks have in this?

And has the move towards sustainable finance actually succeeded in providing incentives for companies to change?

As former ECB President Mario Draghi made his own proposals for returning Europe to competitiveness and President von der Leyen reveals her new proposed team, we ask if there is enough money for sustainability and competitiveness. If yes, where is it?

To discuss these related issues, Frankly Speaking welcomes Myriam Vander Stichele, senior researcher at SOMO, the center for research on multinational corporations.

You’ll hear more about:

• Competitiveness for long term resilience of the company is still the strongest argument

• What are share buybacks, what is happening and what are the implications for business

• How reality is catching up and how it's time to go back to an evidence-based debate to end polarisation

• Myriam shares how Europe must be a leader and champion the role of cooperation rather than simple economic competitiveness

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Welcome to the third season of Frankly Speaking!

We’re kicking it off strong with a crucial topic: trust and what can drive improving it in business?

To discuss this, Richard Howitt welcomes Alison Taylor, author of Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World. Alison is a clinical associate professor at NYU Stern School of Business, Executive Director of the organization Ethical Systems, and has been involved with some major consulting organizations, including Control Risks, Preventable Surprises and Business for Social Responsibility.

In this episode, you’ll hear more about:

• Why Alison advocates for companies to say less and do more - and whether there's a danger in that
• The challenge of balancing meaningful action with broader accountability
• The crucial distinction between trust and reputation management
• Why it's high time companies start treating people like human beings

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Today, Frankly Speaking welcomes Professor Michael H. Posner, director of the Centre for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern School of Business. He also served in the Obama administration as assistant secretary of State.

Throughout his career, Mike has played a key role in establishing some of the major global initiatives on responsible business, including the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, the Fair Labor Association, and the Global Network Initiative, and he continues to be one of the leading voices on business and human rights in the United States.

You’ll hear more about:

• How too much about business and human rights is still process, not outcome or performance.
• Why companies must not abrogate responsibility
• A strong call for standards on due diligence for genuine accountability for businesses on their conduct
• The difficult political situation in the United States at the moment and how to respond to the ESG backlash

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