ESG
The United Nations Sustainability Goals are a benchmark for many : from Goal 5 ‘ Gender Equality ’ to Goal 13 ‘ Climate Action ’ and Goal 11 ‘ Sustainable Cities and Communities ’. These are wide-ranging goals , but are they actually achievable ?
“ Absolutely ,” says Karen . “ I think it helps to give goals to companies that are thinking : “ What do we need to do , where do we start ?”. It can feel like such a huge task to take on ESG commitments , but with these guidelines , companies can say : “ I can take three of those goals and make them a reality .” It gives them something to shoot for ! Environmental news can be really disturbing and overwhelming , but being able to follow these guidelines means we are working towards making things better . That ’ s how I motivate and move myself forward .”
“ Back in 2006 , I remember thinking : “ I cannot wait for the young people to come in and work for us ,” because they grew up learning about climate change at school . Mine didn ’ t ”
KAREN ALONARDO VICE PRESIDENT ESG SOLUTIONS , NAVEX GLOBAL
MOVING FORWARD INTO A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD After over a year of working from home and the possibility of hybrid work for many , ESG will evolve with the new normal .
“ I don ’ t know what it ’ s going to look like , or when that will be ”, Karen says . “ We are still going through a transition . Hopefully , we can utilise technology to allow us to continue working in a smarter way , especially when it comes to our work-life balance . I ’ d like to think we will continue to be more caring of one another . Hopefully , more people will also be questioning where our products come from , having faced issues in the usual supply and demand during the pandemic . I am learning a lot about dependency . How do we all run as one happy planet ? But it has been nice not commuting ! People have had time to check up on their personal lives . I think I have seen that from a lot of people . It has also given nature a break and a chance to reset itself , which I have seen as a silver lining .”
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