Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence should not just be postponed for a year, but be taken off the table altogether. But does this really represent the view of French industry?

This week on the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Sébastien Mandron, CSR Officer at Worldline Global, a leading global payment processing firm, and Board Member of C3D, an association of more than 400 chief sustainability officers.

Together they discussed Worldline Global’s experience of producing their first CSRD report, and the company’s reaction to French President Macron coming out against the CSDDD despite France having been the first European country to implement its own human rights due diligence law, ‘le devoir de diligence’. You’ll also hear more about:

• Worldline Global’s view on the EU Omnibus proposals

• Why the company believes regulation is vital in achieving the green transition

• How the recent UN Oceans Conference in Nice earlier this month demonstrates that companies will continue being asked to provide answers on their sustainability transformation

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The history of corporate human rights abuse is as old as the history of corporations themselves, and yet our understanding of business and human rights has only evolved significantly over the last five decades. The concept of corporate accountability is now widely known, whereas only 20-30 years ago, companies often refused to accept responsibility for the inhumane conditions or practices found in factories producing their products. But how did this understanding evolve, and what progress remains to be achieved?

This week on the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Michael H. Posner, Director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, the first ever human rights centre at a business school.

Together they discussed Michael’s latest book ‘Conscience Incorporated: Pursue Profits While Protecting Human Rights’ which weaves together his decades of legal experience working with companies from Nike, Adidas, Microsoft and many others to put the case for a genuine change in business attitude and practice on corporate human rights. You’ll also hear more about:

• How the Coca-Cola company scandal in the 1980s marked a great step in the history of corporate accountability

• Global lessons learned from the 2013 Rana Plaza tragedy

• Michael’s work to improve the awful conditions in which Apple iPhones were being produced in Shenzhen, China in the 2010s

• Facebook’s role in spreading hate speech in Myanmar

• • Why Hong-Kong based company Esquel Group left the Fair Labor Association
  • Michael’s reflections on Meta’s recent decision to end moderation altogether and how corporate human rights have been impacted by the incumbent Trump administration

  
  

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At a time when there is so much uncertainty around sustainability and due diligence reporting with the ongoing Omnibus negotiations, it’s more important than ever to listen to the voice of business. How have companies in Germany been performing on sustainability reporting, and what does the future of the country’s green transition look like?

This week on the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Fritz Putzhammer, Project Manager at the Bertelsmann Stiftung, an independent research foundation which has been monitoring the sustainability transformation of the German economy over the last three years.

Together they discussed the results of the latest 2025 Sustainability Transformation Monitor, and how they compare to the recent high-level political discourse within Germany on sustainability and due diligence reporting, as well as to the EU’s Omnibus Simplification proposals. You’ll also hear more about:

• How the German Mittelstand (SMEs) are faring on sustainability reporting

• Why German businesses are falling behind on climate transition plans (CTPs)

• Bertelsmann Stiftung’s recommendations to policymakers for the years to come

• The foundation’s personal message to German businesses

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Last year, China issued its Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Standards, aligning its corporate sustainability reporting requirements to the ISSB and the EU’s CSRD with its double materiality approach. But with the EU’s own sustainability legislation in the process of being simplified, has China now become the world leader on sustainability?

This week on the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Nana Li, Head of Sustainability and Stewardship of the Asia-Pacific region at Impax Asset Management.

Together they discussed what the recently issued Chinese Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Standards mean for Chinese companies, and why China appears to be moving forward on corporate sustainability precisely when the United States and Europe seem to be moving backwards. You’ll also hear more about:

• China’s Stock Exchange ESG Guidelines adopted last year

• The impact of the US-China tariff war on China’s sustainability journey

• To what extent data transparency within China has improved over the past decade

• The latest updates on China adopting a Stewardship Code for investors

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The European Commission says that EU sustainability legislation harms European business competitiveness. But does business really agree?

This week on the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Ludovic Flandin, Vice-President and Founding Board Member of WeAreEurope, a new association of European sustainability professionals which was formed earlier this year.

Together they discussed why Ludovic and his colleagues decided to set up WeAreEurope, and the main findings of their recent Europe-wide study on what businesses think about the CSRD and Omnibus proposals. You’ll also hear more about:

• How business associations have reacted to WeAreEurope’s survey

• Ludovic’s case for ESG representing a new transformation of capitalism, just like the digital revolution 25 years ago

• The link between Europe’s sovereignty and power and the CSRD

• Ludovic’s message to those working in business on the value of ESG and sustainability on a personal level

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Last week, Microsoft signed one of the world’s largest carbon removal deals with carbon credit firm Rubicon Carbon, purchasing 18 million tonnes of carbon removal credits. But will investing in carbon markets necessarily reduce the urgency of reaching net zero emissions, and how large of a role should they play in the fight against climate change?

In a special edition of the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Dr Daniel Klier, CEO of the climate consultancy South Pole, which describes itself as the world’s leading carbon project expert.

Together they discussed the current progress in tackling global carbon emissions, as well as the findings of South Pole’s Net Zero survey of 350 financial institutions worldwide. You’ll also hear more about:

• How investors are currently engaging in "financial cakeism" by continuing to invest in fossil fuels alongside green assets

• The case for why investing in carbon markets is such a vital tool in the toolbox against climate change, and how to do so without relaxing the urgency of delivering net zero

• South Pole’s message to sustainability professionals on what they should be doing at company level to realise the green transition

• What Article 6 of the Paris Agreement means in practice, and why it was only ratified after nine years at COP29 in Baku last year

• The consultancy’s verdict on how well existing Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS) worldwide are working

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Corporate sustainability is currently facing a significant setback due to recent shifts in the geopolitical landscape. But how should businesses best respond, and how can they gather the courage to keep going working towards becoming more sustainable?

This week on the FranklySpeaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by author and speaker Andrew Winston, who has published multiple books on sustainability and was named as the third most influential management thinker in the world by Thinkers50.

Together they dived into the debate on whether or not the acronym ESG should be dropped in favour of another term, and discussed what’s the most important thing to watch out for when it comes to AI from a sustainability perspective. You’ll also hear more about:

• Why Andrew believes the business case for sustainability isn’t the be all and end all - sometimes sustainability costs more, but so what?

• How business leaders can come together to fight climate change even in the face of political backlash

• Andrew’s personal struggle with depression and the difficulty of being able to champion sustainability in the midst of a very challenging geopolitical context

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Amidst this highly unpredictable global tariff war, there’s a new announcement each day on the latest round of tariffs being levied - or lifted - by and against the incumbent Trump administration. But what does this all mean for sustainability, and how will it impact companies on their green transition?

This week on the Frankly Speaking podcast, Richard Howitt was joined by Joeri de Wilde, economist at Triodos Bank, which actively works towards creating a just and inclusive society with respect for the planet, and describes itself as a leader in sustainable banking.

Together they discussed the link between tariffs and sustainability, and whether the European Union hitting back with retaliatory tariffs was really the right response. You’ll also hear more about:

• Triodos Bank’s criticism of the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal

• Why it’s so difficult to quantify the tangible impact of the tariffs on sustainability so far

• Whether there’s really the appetite to create new international partnerships to counter the impact of the tariff war on global sustainability commitments

• • The reason behind Triodos Bank's decision to leave the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA)
  • Why sustainable investing is more relevant now than ever

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