BSR Audio Series

Aron Cramer, BSR President and CEO, chats with David Stearns on the topic of Leading with Ambition, exploring:

• Why companies should be enthusiastic about these changes to reporting requirements and regulatory frameworks.
• The apparent tension that these reporting requirements have created between ambition and compliance and where the pitfalls might be for companies.
• Whether there is a possibility that new requirements and reporting rules might actually unlock greater ambition.
• Advice for companies pursuing an ambitious sustainability strategy, and whether there is business value in this approach. 
• The evolving role of the Chief Sustainability Officer on strategy, leadership, and external communications.
• Whether these regulations and compliance frameworks go far enough.

Christine Diamente, BSR Managing Director, Transformation chats with David Stearns on the Role of Boards and Governance, exploring: 

• What new skills boards need to have in light of these new regulatory and reporting requirements.
• What platforms or opportunities exist for upskilling and what kind of requests is BSR receiving from boards.
• What do we mean by business transformation and what hurdles and opportunities exist for corporate leaders in this new environment.
• Lessons learned from Christine’s experience engaging in scenario planning exercises with BSR members. 

Adam Fishman, BSR Associate Director, Transformation chats with David Stearns on The Impact Across Business Units, exploring:

• The latest regulatory frameworks, how they are distinct and how they work together.
• Why this is an important time for those in sustainability functions within a company and advice to help them navigate this rapidly evolving landscape. What should they be doing in the near and long-term? 
• How this is likely to affect different job functions and teams within a company, specifically finance, procurement, marketing, human resources, boards, and the c-suite. 
• Do these regulatory frameworks go far enough as far as requiring companies to report and disclose on elements of their sustainability activities? 

David Wei, BSR Managing Director, Climate and Nature chats with David Stearns on The Impact on Climate and Nature, exploring:

• How these rules and regulations apply specifically to net zero reporting and other climate-related commitments.
• What impact they may have on greenwashing, specifically making it less permissible. 
• To what extent the new requirements may help companies increase their ambition and drive greater impact toward net zero goals. 
• New challenges for climate-focused sustainability practitioners, including the Chief Sustainability Officer. 
• Key competencies that boards will need to develop to ensure that actions are commensurate with disclosure.
• To what extent the politicization of these efforts in the U.S. may a challenge for Chief Sustainability Officers or other leaders at the forefront of this work.

Dunstan Allison-Hope, BSR Vice President, Human Rights chats with David Stearns on Human Rights and the Future of Compliance, exploring:

• Why compliance is important and why it deserves its moment in the sun. 
• The difference between complying with the spirit of the law and the letter of the law, and some of the issues posed by the double materiality requirements in the ESRS.
• Collectively, whether these rules are up to the task considering the urgent need for action. 
• Why the new convergence between human rights due diligence and materiality reporting is noteworthy.  
• How companies should address human rights in their materiality reporting.

Beth Richmond, BSR Director, Transformation chats with David Stearns on Unpacking Double Materiality, exploring:

• How the different frameworks and guidelines define materiality, where they are similar and where they are different.
• Why companies should apply the concept of double materiality, and why it is the approach that BSR favors.
• What BSR says to companies who only engage in financial materiality to help them understand why they should embrace double materiality.
• Whether double materiality requires engagement with new stakeholders, both internal and external.
• What Beth is hearing from companies who are going through the process of coming into compliance with mandatory reporting.