These are wild times for companies trying to navigate the political minefield 🌪️

These are wild times for companies trying to navigate the political minefield. 🌪️

That’s why we’re sharing a great read from Harvard Business Review this week which delves into how “the current politicization of ethical business conduct is putting companies and their leaders in the midst of ethical minefields.” 😬

Authors Richard Bistrong and Anna Romberg make the complex simple: to thrive among the chaos, companies need to accept reality, lean in, and have tough conversations with their teams to ensure that values can be meaningfully lived in this time of challenge. No shortcuts here – if you want to protect your reputation and stay competitive, it’s time to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

London was the place to be this week! Conferences, plenaries, sessions – you name it. It was amazing to catch up with so many clients face-to-face after so many virtual working sessions and meetings. One of the best moments? Meeting our three counterparts from a client we've been working with for three years – all together, in person, for the first time!! 🙌

We also hosted a session on meaningful grievance mechanisms for the Voluntary Principles Initiative. I loved seeing the screen light up with countries from every corner of the globe on Mentimeter when asked “Where do you come from?” 🌍 It was a beautiful reminder of the strength that lies in community, and in us coming together with purpose and ambition.

Also, do you remember when climate used to be completely separate from conversations about human rights and just transition? 🌱

That ship has absolutely sailed! 🚢 Here are three things I saw this week that reminded me of that:

- 🌱Earth for All Video: A short video from the book ‘Earth for All’ was released which clearly links the climate challenge with inequality, poverty and lack of empowerment. As Johan Rockström says, “What we are facing is not an environmental crisis. It’s a crisis of security, of stability, of prosperity and equity” (see here)

- 📚Tony Juniper’s Book Launch: I was at Tony’s book launch (remotely!) where he argued that inequality is the root cause of the climate crisis. We can’t fix the environment without addressing the gaps between rich and poor, powerful and weak. His new book is aptly named ‘Just Earth – How a Fairer World Will Save the Planet’

- 🔍 IPCC Visuals by John Lang: If you work with me you know that I love the IPCC reports, and I love visuals, so seeing John Lang’s final instalment of visuals to depict the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report cycle (2021-2023) was a dream come true. The one on impacts (here) could be particularly valuable to you if you are seeking to make the case for linking climate change and human rights. There is no better authority on this question than the world’s leading scientists worldwide who have agreed unanimously! (See here, here and here for the other three)

If you’re in Brussels next week for the ‘Driving Effective Due Diligence: Omnibus Unpacked’ discussions make sure to say hi to Malin and Ana from Human Level (check out their pics below!). If you won’t be there and FOMO is starting, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with a full breakdown of all the discussions next week.

Have a great weekend!
Anna 💫