What drives the divergence of ESG ratings?
Unpacking ESG: Key Insights from Climate Week NYC During a year with relatively limited progress in climate leadership, in the private sector, an increasing number of companies have made ambitious pledges to achieve decarbonization in the coming decades. While these commitments received acclaim upon their initial announcement, companies are now under pressure to fulfill […]
Understanding the Impact of Recent SEC Updates on Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, and Technology Sectors
The main objectives of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are to protect investors, enforce securities laws, and facilitate capital formation. The SEC regulates securities markets, sets disclosure requirements for companies, promotes fair trading practices, and takes enforcement actions against securities law violators. It also plays a vital role in market regulation, international cooperation, […]
AI applications: panacea or threat to sustainable development and ESG assessments?
Artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications are evolving at a rapid pace and are increasingly penetrating our everyday lives. From the arcade games of the 90s, we have moved on to smart phones that feature both data and AI applications, such as Google Assistant and Siri. Today we are all talking about AI applications, which […]
What to Expect from Digital Sustainability Training (Part 2 in our series)
What to Expect: Theory versus Practice Why devote time to take a three-day Digital Sustainability Training? You can probably take a course at a local University, or even a degree. A quick glance indicates Higher Ed is teaching about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And, the often-huge campuses certainly have at least one course […]
How to embed Sustainability into the core of your Business Strategy and Communications
How feasible is it for corporate leaders to understand the correlations between a comprehensive sustainability strategy and the financial benefits of corporate sustainability efforts? Investors on the other hand understand more clearly sustainability is not just a box to tick on a disclosure form. Leading organizations globally seem to better understand the financial impacts […]
Sustainability in Biden’s First 100 Days
From CSE Consulting team Not much can be done in 100 days, unless those days land in the middle of a crisis. The Biden Administration faces social challenges more visible than ever before. Your organization must be ready for the old concerns rising to new levels. Forced Labor PPEs (physical protection equipment) […]
What the CFO needs to know about ESG issues
As standard-setters, such as the SASB, GRI, TCFD which are international institutions, like the World Economic Forum, they have been working together to achieve convergence and harmonization of ESG disclosure requirements across sectors. It is noticed that pressure grows on CFOs to get involved in the ESG conversation, in order to improve corporate strategy and […]
Leading impactful CSR and sustainability initiatives in the post-oil era in the UAE
As the crisis evolves around the world, MENA governments should ensure that their stimulus measures and policy responses are aligned with ambitious climate change and wider environmental protection goals. They should ensure policy coherence and avoid creating unintended environmental consequences that might damage the future resilience and environmental health of societies. The goal is […]
Actionable CSR insights for corporations in the UAE that shape the new normal
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing massive economic turmoil in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries through simultaneous shocks: drop in domestic and external demand, drop in oil prices, reduction in trade, disruption of production, fall in consumer and investor confidence, and tightening of financial conditions. At the same time sustainability risks, including air pollution, coastal degradation […]
The imperative of business resilience planning; How is Dubai coping.
Business resilience became the ultimate popular phrase while also a great necessity when one of the unprecedent strikes in global economy made its appearance following the unexpected virus of Covid-19. Many organizations learned maybe the tough way that if they wanted to maintain their business operations, their human assets and overall brand equity they had […]