The first episode of IR TV Now has launched online, a brand-new show dedicated to hearing from IR professionals around the globe.
In the inaugural episode, we go live to the ESG Integration Forum – Europe 2023 and hear from top speakers such as Mark Babington, executive director of regulatory standards at the Financial Reporting Council, and Jana Jevcakova, managing director and head of ESG international at Morrow Sodali.
We also hear from Benoit Ribaud, ESG investor relations manager at TotalEnergies, and Emmanuelle Palikuca, managing director & head of sustainability advisory at Alliance Advisors.
Meanwhile, Noemi Distefano, reporter at IR Magazine, looks at the top stories the IR world faced in February as well as how increasing regulation within the ESG space is evolving.
Here are a few snippet quotes from the forum:
‘Data management is a challenge,’ Ribaud said. ‘There are so many reporting standards and regulations when it comes to reporting on Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions.
‘There is no harmonization of standards at the moment. So managing the data, disseminating the data, and efficiently communicating the data to investors – which have different expectations – is clearly a challenge.’
Power of stakeholders
‘With some of the panels we’re trying to also explore what is actually considered material and whether companies are potentially greenwashing, but we haven’t really agreed on that,’ Jevcakova said.
‘So should that be regulated? I don’t necessarily think so. I think we’ll figure it out more organically. I’m a strong believer in the power of stakeholders [to affect] individual companies rather than blank regulatory requirements.’
Risk-management tool
‘Historically, there has been greater buy-in on ESG in the UK and across Europe,’ Palikuca said. ‘There’s been a better understanding of the way it serves as a risk-management tool and as an opportunity for value creation for companies.
‘That is something that’s more the status quo and more widely accepted [here]. I’m not sure that’s where things are in the US, which is a big reason why we’re seeing that backlash there.’
