INTERVIEW WITH ...
EVELYNE SAELENS
UL Solutions ’ Evelyne Saelens discusses the crucial link between ESG and data capture
EVELYNE SAELENS TITLE : ESG ADVISORY LEAD COMPANY : UL SOLUTIONS
INDUSTRY : INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
LOCATION : GERMANY
As an ESG Advisory Lead at UL Solutions , a global leader in applied safety science , Evelyne Saelens started her journey with the company as a carbon data consultant eight years ago .
She works with organisations of all sizes and across industries to help them navigate their ESG and carbon reporting challenges , assisting as they develop effective strategies , processes and systems for managing all dimensions of ESG reporting , from ESG materiality to meeting net zero goals .
Q . WHAT DO YOU THINK COMPANIES ARE GETTING WRONG WHEN IT COMES TO ESG REPORTING AND DATA CAPTURE ?
» Many companies have a preconceived notion that an ESG programme must be perfect from the start . That ’ s not the case . You can recognise you have gaps and document where those gaps are , and then tackle them step by step . It ’ s okay to have uncertainties — that doesn ’ t mean your programme or performance is sub-par — as long as you are transparent about them and document them . The most successful ESG programme are based on an iterative approach to scale up processes and eventually plug those initial gaps .
For instance , a major manufacturing company with many sites may believe it has to report on ESG key performance indicators ( KPIs ) from every site right from the beginning . Instead , they can start with their top manufacturing sites and add other sites later ; the important piece is a path to improve the reporting . It comes down to accepting that no business will be perfect from day one . It ’ s all about getting to a place where you can document steady progress in a pragmatic
14 October 2023