ESG: A Lever for Sustainable Transformation
ESG, “6 Min. to Understand” with Pierre Léonard. Midoricast: Podcast #208
ESG: A Lever for Sustainable Transformation
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In this new episode of Midoricast, Pierre Léonard delves into the heart of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), a strategic framework that’s moving beyond a mere trend to become a fundamental aspect of the business world.
How are companies like Unilever, Danone, and SAP transforming their practices to combine economic performance with a positive impact? Pierre sheds light on the practical levers that enable businesses, both large and small, to integrate ESG into their strategy. And beyond the big names, what about the internal initiatives driven by committed individuals? Michel Godart builds on this reflection and discusses sometimes unexpected dynamics of change.
This is a crucial episode for understanding why ESG is much more than just a concept: it’s a strategic necessity for any company that wants to prosper sustainably. Have a listen now and join the conversation!
We provide an English transcript of this podcast in this article. However, if you are learning French (podcasts are a great way to train your brain to get used to a language, making it easier to learn or practice) or if you understand it as well, feel free to listen this episode here and subscribe to the podcast via Podcastics (If you follow this link, it is only valid for 7 days.), our podcast host. To subscribe, select your favorite app via the “See All” button in the list on our Linktree.
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Why this section?
We support companies that apply real and measurable ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) approaches. Pierre, on the other hand, trains and supports them through this transition. Our approaches are different, but complementary: we encourage, he guides.
This choice also presents a real challenge: where do we draw the line?
Some companies mentioned in this section do not align with our current criteria, and we would refuse any collaboration with them unless they initiate a concrete change. But this is exactly where Pierre comes in: his role is to initiate this transformation.
This podcast does not aim to judge, but to inspire. The goal? To encourage rather than discourage, to guide rather than exclude.
Let’s commit together to a circular, sustainable, and inclusive economy. Listen, reflect, act… in 6 minutes.
The transcript of the podcast “ESG: A Lever for Sustainable Transformation”:
Michel Godart: [00:00:00] This podcast project is an initiative created and proposed by the ASBL “The Podcast Factory Org”, with the sponsorship of “transforma bxl – Innovation Playground and you can find all the episodes on the “What’s Your Story point be” website.
Michel Godart: [00:00:18] Welcome to another episode of Midoricast, your podcast about positive environmental initiatives. “Midori” for green, “Cast” for Broadcast, and we’re in the “Six minutes pour comprendre” section with Pierre Léonard. The floor is yours!
Pierre Léonard: [00:00:29] Hello and welcome everyone to the section that answers all the questions decision-makers have about sustainable development. Today, we’re going to delve a little deeper into the world of ESG, which we covered in the previous episode: Environment, Social, Governance. And we’re going to discover how this concept can really transform your vision of business and create value, or rather sustainable prosperity. As we saw in the previous episode, ESG is not just a trendy acronym, it’s a framework for assessing a company’s sustainability and ethical impact. We’re going to look at its environmental impact, i.e. how your company behaves in relation to its waste management, its consumption of raw materials, its greenhouse gas emissions and so on.
Pierre Léonard: [00:01:20] And I’ll take the example of Unilever. Unilever has committed to achieving zero net emissions across its entire value chain by 2039. That’s eleven years before the date set by the Paris Agreement. To achieve this, Unilever has invested massively in renewable energies, energy efficiency and waste reduction. In 2020, it has already achieved 100% renewable electricity for its sites in 100 countries, that’s for the environment, but ESG also includes S and G.
Pierre Léonard: [00:01:52] So let’s move on to S for social, what is your impact on people? That includes working conditions, diversity, equity, and so on. And this social impact of ESG is crucial because it directly influences your company’s productivity, innovation and reputation. Let me take another example from a major group, Danone. During the Covid crisis, the company launched a €300 million fund to support its 15,000 small agricultural suppliers. This initiative not only helped its suppliers through a difficult period, but also strengthened the resilience of Danone’s supply chain. In addition, the company has implemented a living wage scheme for all its employees worldwide, demonstrating its commitment to social equity.
Pierre Léonard: [00:02:35] You’re going to tell me that Unilever and Danone are large groups whose practices are controversial. That’s right and I agree.
Michel Godart: [00:02:41] You took the words right out of my mouth.
Pierre Léonard: [00:02:43] Yes, and why do you think I’m mentioning them in my examples? Well, there are two reasons. Because on the one hand, if these big groups are so interested in ESG and are really serious about it, it’s because they’ve clearly understood that it’s in their interest. They are not philanthropists, or at least that is certainly not their primary goal. Their primary goal is to raise shareholder value. So if they’re interested in all this, it means they’ve really understood that it could change things for them, for their bottom line.
Pierre Léonard: [00:03:11] And the second reason is that, and here I also come back to my practice as a facilitator, I often realise that even in companies like these, there are forces at work, forces for change, people who are there to change things from the inside and who manage to do so. This is a really important detail. We tend to forget about these forces for positive change, but personally I find it very, very encouraging, and we’ll come back to this later, as we’ll have another opportunities to talk about it. Then there’s the last point, G for governance, which is how you’re going to steer your ship: in terms of transparency, your balance sheets, the transparency of your accounts, business ethics, the way you make your decisions, who do you involve in your decision-making? Good governance is really essential for building trust with all your stakeholders and sometimes, as we were saying the other day, even with your competitors too. To illustrate this ‘G’ of governance, I’m going to take another large company, SAP. SAP has finally reacted to the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence, particularly in terms of electricity consumption. SAP has set up an AI Ethics Advisory Board, made up of independent experts who guide the responsible development of the company’s AI technologies. So once again, this is an initiative that is very much in touch with reality and shows that two major groups can make a real and sincere commitment to the social environment and governance.
Pierre Léonard: [00:04:35] But you understand that ESG is not just a question of brand image, it’s also a way of leveraging financial performance. The CSRD is a European directive which, since 2024, requires certain categories of companies to report on everything they do in terms of ESG in addition to their traditional annual financial statements. Eventually, more than 50,000 companies will be required to publish detailed reports on their environmental, social and governance performance, covering aspects such as greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, etc. We’ll see why this is important, and we’ll see why we shouldn’t panic, but simply get there in time to meet these criteria.
Pierre Léonard: [00:05:14] So there you have it, to conclude, ESG is not just the option, it really is the future of business, it’s a powerful tool for creating value, long-term sustainable prosperity, and by integrating it into your strategy, you’re not just meeting the growing expectations of consumers, investors and regulators: you’re preparing your business to thrive in a world where sustainability and social responsibility are business must-haves. Thank you for joining me for these “Six minutes to understand” ESG and how it’s not only great for the planet, but also for business. See you next time!
Michel Godart: [00:05:45] A quick comment on a remark you made at one point about the initiative that everyone can take within each company where there are positive energies in the most controversial companies sometimes. It reminded me of Frédéric Laloux’s initiative with ‘The Week’, which also calls on everyone in his company to raise awareness, and yes, there are companies that have a bad reputation but that have people internally who want to get moving. And I’d like to make the second part of my comment, which is to say that I was a bit surprised when you quoted the names of the companies you wanted to mention, and I have to admit that we’ve come back to a discussion we had before the recording, where sometimes you shouldn’t put down people you don’t agree with because if you do so they won’t listen to you any more, you’re more likely to have a dialogue with them and go and meet them, to inspire them and sometimes succeed in getting them to change. I’ll stop here.
Pierre Léonard: [00:06:24] You’ve said it all!
Michel Godart: [00:06:25] Don’t forget to leave a message on the voice Mail, contact Pierre Léonard, he’ll be happy to answer you. And check out the “Six minutes pour comprendre” blog. See you soon!
Michel Godart: [00:06:37] This podcast project is an initiative created and proposed by the ASBL “The Podcast Factory Org”, with the sponsorship of “transforma bxl – Innovation Playground”, and you can find all the episodes on the “What’s Your Story point be” website.
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