In this week’s episode, Richard Howitt asks: can we believe the numbers on environment, social and governance (ESG)? To address this, we welcome Richard Hardyment, author of Measuring Good Business: Making Sense of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Data. In it, he states that there is little or no evidence that ESG has and has had any positive outcomes for people and the planet in the real world. And yet he calls himself emphatically pro-sustainability. After directing research at the World Benchmarking Alliance, he is now Head of Business Engagement at the Institute of Business Ethics. In this episode, you’ll hear more about: The secret about sustainability reporting numbers The different ways in measuring social and environmental disclosures What makes a good proxy? How to pick up context in sustainability reporting? Can we measure the goodwill of the business? Listen in and follow us on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠! ***Participate in our anonymous survey: Help us understand what you enjoy in the show, what you want us to do better, and who you want to listen to next! https://forms.gle/xCkhhWrwf6qCiyJHA

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.