Progressing the ESG Agenda to Become Greener Cleaner and More Competitive

Progressing the ESG Agenda to Become Greener, Cleaner and More Competitive Advancing the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda is top of mind for businesses globally, but companies cannot do this alone. The challenge now is how to work together to leverage complementary capabilities and maximize impact both within companies and across supply chains to benefit our planet and communities. Kanika Thakur Head of Trade, APAC, Treasury and Trade Solutions, Citi Understanding ESG One of the difficulties with defining an ESG or sustainability agenda is that people and organizations may emphasize one or more of E, S and G, with different priorities within each category. The “G”, or governance is widely understood, and issues such as regulatory compliance, accounting standards, conflicts of interest and accountability have been long-standing corporate concerns. Increasingly, environmental issues, particularly carbon emissions, have also become corporate priorities. Social concerns, such as labor practices, workforce diversity and community engagement are also gaining greater attention, but these issues can be more difficult to measure and monitor.