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Miyako Nishimura

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As part of the Transformation team, Miyako supports BSR member companies on a wide range of sustainability topics across Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. 

With over 15 years of experience as a researcher and consultant, including more than a decade in sustainable investment, she brings deep expertise in ESG assessment and benchmarking, sustainable finance and investment, climate and nature risk analysis, board advisory, capacity building, and sustainability reporting. Before joining BSR, Miyako held key roles such as Global Sustainability Reporting Lead at Nikko Asset Management, Sustainability Manager at EY Singapore supporting financial institutions across APAC, and APAC Regional Lead for ESG Research & Client Engagement at FTSE Russell. 

Miyako holds a BA in Intercultural Communication from Ryukoku University, along with several sustainable finance-related certifications, including CFA ESG Investing and CISL Sustainable Finance.

Reports | Thursday October 16, 2025

Applying a Systems-Based Approach to Move from Climate Risk to Resilience

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The business imperative for climate adaptation has never been more urgent. Due to human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, extreme weather events—including droughts, cyclones, and heatwaves—are becoming more intense, and already fragile ecosystems are close to reaching critical tipping points. While business efforts to decarbonize remain essential, it is critical that companies recognize that reducing emissions alone will neither secure business continuity nor safeguard the communities and ecosystems vital for business success. To build true resilience, organizations need to consider climate adaptation alongside mitigation strategies and integrate it into strategic decision-making, treating climate, nature, and people as interconnected systems.

BSR’s latest report, Applying a Systems-Based Approach to Move from Climate Risk to Resilience, responds to this growing need. The report builds on several years of BSR research and engagement with companies, investors, and policymakers to help bridge persistent gaps in the adaptation and resilience landscape.

Through a six-step, systems-based approach, it provides practical, actionable guidance for organizations to move from identifying climate risks to designing and evaluating adaptation solutions that respond to local community and ecosystem needs, respect human rights, and are aligned with long-term resilience goals. This guidance supports risk and sustainability teams within the private sector in assessing the potential co-benefits of adaptation solutions and minimizing unintended trade-offs between other climate mitigation efforts, nature, and people. 

The report also provides recommendations for organizations at various stages of their adaptation journey on how they can leverage and complement this guidance with other existing and relevant frameworks and resources. With BSR’s framework, companies will be able to lay the groundwork for a growing and evolving systems-based approach to resilience.

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Gregoire Lusson

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Alexandra Reeve Givens

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Alexandra Reeve Givens is the CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology, the leading nonpartisan, nonprofit organization fighting to protect civil rights and civil liberties in the digital age. She is a prominent advocate for protecting people’s online privacy and access to information, and ensuring emerging technologies advance human rights and democracy.

Alex regularly appears in news outlets such as CNN, CBS News, NPR, The Washington Post and Wired, and has testified in Congress multiple times. Her writing has been featured in outlets ranging from Democracy Journal and Barron’s to Slate and Ms Magazine.

At CDT, Alex leads an international team of lawyers, policy experts, and technologists. CDT advocates to policymakers and the courts, works to improve tech companies’ policies and product designs, and helps the public have a voice in how technology shapes our lives and futures.

Alex previously served in the United States Senate, as the chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee covering innovation and consumer protection. Prior to joining CDT, she was the founding Executive Director of Georgetown University’s Institute for Technology Law & Policy, where she set the Institute’s research agenda, and directed its public convenings, policy work, and strategic development. Alex began her career as a litigator at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City, and taught for nine years as an adjunct professor at Columbia Law and Georgetown Law.

Alex serves on the boards of the Urban Institute, BSR, and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which is named for her late father, Christopher Reeve. She also serves on advisory boards for the Aspen Institute, World Economic Forum, Partnership on AI, KKR, and numerous companies, and is a judge for the Webby Awards.

She holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

Blog | Thursday October 9, 2025

Stakeholder Engagement in a Changing Business Landscape

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This is the first in a series of blogs that will unpack the importance of stakeholder engagement, how regulations have reshaped the landscape, and how companies can continue to conduct meaningful stakeholder engagement in alignment with well-established industry best practices that align with expectations set out in standards like the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. 

Various regulations, such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), have made stakeholder engagement a legal imperative, but the rationale for engagement has always extended beyond compliance into long-term business resilience. It helps align business priorities with external expectations and allows companies to identify, anticipate, and manage risks and impacts.

Stakeholder engagement also enables companies to build trusted relationships that are mutually beneficial, gain insights to improve decision-making, enhance their reputation, and meet legal and regulatory requirements. In fact, it may be one of the most powerful tools companies have to navigate uncertainty for both their own operations, as well as across their value chains. 

Amid regulatory uncertainty, it’s time for companies to shift from a compliance approach to a strategic approach and unlock the full value of engagement for business and society alike.   

Who Is a Stakeholder? 

Stakeholders are individuals or groups who affect or are affected by a company’s operations, activities, products, or services, including employees, local communities, suppliers, customers, civil society organizations, governments, and investors. 

Affected stakeholders, also known as rightsholders, are a special category of stakeholders that are individuals or groups whose human rights may be directly impacted by business activities, products, or services. These may include employees, trade unions, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, landholders, direct customers, and local suppliers. 

What Is Stakeholder Engagement?

Stakeholder engagement is the process of building and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, addressing their concerns, and integrating their insights into business strategy, governance, and operations. It can take many forms depending on objectives and stakeholder groups, including focus groups or interviews during a double materiality assessment, supplier trainings on a Code of Conduct, or community consultations before operational changes. Stakeholder engagement is an ongoing dialogue and relationship that should be meaningful, inclusive, and transparent. Stakeholder engagement has long been recognized as an expectation for responsible business conduct in international standards like the UNGPs and the OECD Guidelines. 

Why Should Companies Conduct Stakeholder Engagement? 

Stakeholder engagement bridges business priorities and societal needs by grounding decisions in the perspectives of those most affected. Meaningful engagement helps companies anticipate risks, surface concerns early, and adapt strategies while building trust between companies and stakeholders. By integrating stakeholder insights into all aspects of their business and operating models, companies can protect their ability to operate and grow, and contribute to broader community resilience and societal progress. 

Strategic Drivers for Stakeholder Engagement and Their Business Value 

The Regulatory Landscape Influencing Stakeholder Engagement 

To meet certain regulatory expectations, companies are required to demonstrate not only that stakeholder engagement is happening, but that it is meaningful, inclusive, and woven into decision-making. These regulations reflect a global shift to embedding stakeholder engagement in corporate governance and sustainability processes, not as a one-off event, but as an ongoing, integrated practice.  

International frameworks, such as the UNGPs and the OECD Guidelines, have long established that companies have an ongoing responsibility to engage and consult meaningfully with affected rightsholders as part of their human rights due diligence and responsible business conduct.  

Key Laws Addressing Stakeholder Engagement

Amid regulatory uncertainty, it’s time for companies to shift from a compliance approach to a strategic approach and unlock the full value of engagement for business and society alike.   

Much of the regulatory momentum has been concentrated in Western jurisdictions, particularly in Europe. How these standards influence approaches in other regions, including in the Global South, will be important to monitor in the years ahead. The ripple effects may redefine expectations and practices for global companies operating across diverse regulatory environments. 

Conclusion  

As sustainability commitments face scrutiny and some companies retreat from proactively addressing human rights impacts, stakeholder engagement provides a constructive path forward. By fostering meaningful relationships with communities, customers, and workers, companies can help restore societal trust in the role of business and demonstrate that they can create lasting positive impact for people as well as profit. 

As regulations evolve and expectations rise, now is the time for companies to strengthen their internal approaches on stakeholder engagement. With decades of experience designing and implementing stakeholder engagement strategies across industries and geographies, BSR is ready to help companies take the next step. Interested in conducting meaningful stakeholder engagement at your company? Reach out to BSR’s Human Rights and Transformation teams to find out more about BSR’s 5-Step Approach to Stakeholder Engagement. 

Blog | Tuesday October 7, 2025

The CSDDD: Implications for the Tech Sector

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Apurv Gupta

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Peter Herweck

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Peter Herweck leads Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and automation, guiding its strategy in sustainability, industrial software, and digital transformation.

He first joined Schneider’s Executive Committee in 2016, heading its Industrial Automation business. In 2018, he oversaw the merger of Schneider’s Industrial Software business with AVEVA, before becoming CEO of AVEVA in 2021. In May 2023, he assumed leadership of Schneider Electric as CEO.

Earlier in his career, Peter began as a Software Development Engineer with Mitsubishi in Japan and later moved to Siemens, where he held senior roles including Chief Strategy Officer and CEO of its Process Industries & Drives division. He has also held leadership roles across the US, China, Japan, and Europe. His expertise spans automation, digitalization, and leading complex global transformations.

Peter holds an MBA from Wake Forest University School of Business, as well as electrical and engineering degrees from Metz University in France and Saarland University in Germany. Additionally, he has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. 

Blog | Thursday October 2, 2025

Climate Week 2025: The World Shows Up at A Critical Time

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2025 has been a roller coaster ride for sustainable business, and for action on climate in particular. With so many questions swirling, many of us wondered a few months ago who would come to Climate Week NYC and what level of commitment they would bring.

While Climate Week did not magically solve the many economic, policy, cultural, technological challenges we face, it did deliver a solid rejoinder to those who have declared the end to the energy and ambition that has laid the foundation for progress over the past several years. As we’ve heard from our partners at The Climate Group, this year’s Climate Week was the biggest in its 16-year history, with more than 1,000 events, a high level of government participation, and a noteworthy level of business engagement. Many of us are walking away from this year’s edition of Climate Week with more cause for optimism and hope than we entered it.

First of all, the world showed up. In the spring, many people responded to political changes in the U.S. by expressing their reservations about coming to New York. Some preferred to show up—and they did!—at other events, such as London Climate Action Week. For those of us who felt it was important for the world to show its commitment to climate action on U.S. soil, it was gratifying to see participants from so many corners of the world. Going solely by the diverse turnout at the CSO dinner BSR hosted for its members, representing companies from Asia, Europe, and the U.S., the worries that people would stay away (mostly) didn’t come to pass.

Second, the dialogues were more candid than in past years. At past Climate Weeks, companies, non-profits, investors, and governments expressed optimism bordering on triumphalism. Events suggested unstoppable progress, and a “What, me worry?” mindset that often minimized or ignored the thorny challenges to achieving a Paris-aligned future. Not this year. CSOs, journalists, BSR, and our peer organizations stepped right into the hard questions about why momentum has stalled and why progress toward a 1.5°C future was looking far more challenging. This is mostly a function of the realities of the world in 2025, but it felt far more “real” than in past years. 

Third, the hard questions were tackled. With fewer splashy public events, there was considerably more effort put into quiet dialogues that addressed the hardest questions head on. I welcomed the opportunity, for example, to engage with a diverse group discussing how to address climate in a way that can be supported across the political spectrum. I also had numerous discussions with CSOs about how they are navigating a less forgiving environment inside their companies, with budgets shrinking and executive support declining or distracted.  The impact of AI—positive and negative—was taken up frequently by both developers and deployers. Continuing a theme from throughout 2025, the sustainable business community is tackling the need to paint a picture for the public that emphasizes the way sustainability makes life better in tangible ways. Too often, we’ve fallen short of that mark. It is high time we look in the mirror and start to communicate in ways that more people can appreciate and embrace.

Finally, the world is accepting the challenge of making progress on climate change without the support of the U.S. government and with global cooperation fragmenting. The macropolitical situation has changed. The world cannot take for granted a fully functioning multilateral system. The fate of COP30—and the COP system generally—is highly uncertain. Geopolitics have transformed global energy priorities from climate action to energy security. The slow but steady drive to convergence in rules and regulations has lost its momentum, and in many ways has gone into reverse. Last but not least, the U.S. government, at least at the federal level, has resolutely walked away from climate action in both rhetoric and policy, while seeking to dismantle the tools needed for future administrations to respond to climate change. While all these developments are regrettable (or worse), it was very clear that most businesses are getting on with things. And in some corners, there is a growing acknowledgement that while the world may have become disillusioned with climate politics, it has pivoted to being more concerned with the climate economy.

In retrospect, perhaps the past Climate Week gatherings suffered from the “irrational exuberance” that former U.S. Chair of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan famously used to describe a frothy stock market. This year, while there were reasons for optimism, it would be a mistake to glide past the very real challenges facing more rapid progress on climate. That said, everyone was more clear-eyed about the challenges we face—and dedicated to keep pushing forward with determination to make the progress we need in spite of the conditions we face. This may just reflect a necessary maturation that will deliver more of the results that we all need.

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Adrian Monck

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