ESG Corporate Strategy: An ESG and Sustainability Foundation for a Competitive Advantage

Introduction

Businesses create jobs, pay taxes and produce products and services that are undeniably necessary for our daily lives. However, from an opposing perspective, companies have also had a very dire environmental impact on our planet. This potentially impact poses a risk, not only for the world in which we live, but also for the companies themselves. As a result, they are now required to assess this risk and act accordingly to mitigate these negative environmental consequences. In so doing, companies can not only act more responsibly but they will also likely benefit from easier access to financing than their competitors who may not be resolving these concerns. One of the main objectives of this training is to help participants better understand what purpose ESG actually serves and how they can design and implement ESG policies and thereby gain a significant competitive advantage for their company. In order to apply ESG in a sustainable way, companies need to grasp the whole picture and understand the perspectives of all the many stakeholders. Additionally, the current regulatory framework will be covered as it is changing rapidly, and companies need to recognise that certain markets might close its doors to companies that are not ready to adjust to the new ESG reality. Thus, national policies, taxonomies and accounting standards will be addressed. In short, the principal aim of this ESG Corporate Strategy training course is to help participants understand the true meaning and objectives of ESG policies, enabling them to ultimately create their own corporate sustainability policies that will receive support from all stakeholders and regulators. This  training course provides a framework that will support and complement a company's overall risk management and specifically its Environment, Social and Governance policies. During the training course of five days, participants will work on their own roadmap and implement the content from the training course.

Objectives

By attending this training course, you’ll know how to:

• Identify ESG advantages and risks within the corporate landscape.
• Explain what ESG actually is and its relevance to progressive business decisions.
• Describe related critical environmental, social and governance issues.
• Explain how stakeholders influence corporate ESG performance.
• See one’s own company from a stakeholder perspective and learn effective Stakeholder Management policies and strategies.
• Examine government and public policy as it relates to promoting real-world, effective, achievable, sustainable practices.
• Explore metrics and evaluation methods related to assessing sustainability strategies.
• Use this learning to develop your own positive corporate Sustainability Strategy.

Training Methodology

Following this teaching principle, participants in this ESG Corporate Strategy training course will be required to interactively work with the presented training course material. In this way, they and their organisations will benefit from a highly engaging, interactive and relevant learning experience. Informative presentations, group discussions, case studies, hands-on exercises, and recent real-world developments will be used. The training course methodology encourages active training participation and reflection enabling the participants to then more easily apply this new knowledge in their organisations.

Who Should Attend?

This ESG Corporate Strategy training course is suitable for all employees involved with implementing or approving the financing of sustainability initiatives and policies and also all managers and professionals interested in understanding how our regulatory and consumer expectations are rapidly shifting. In addition, all corporate representatives who would like to better understand how a company can better manage and implement ESG and Sustainability policies

Thus, the following should consider participating: 

• Sustainability Managers
• Financial Officers
• Corporate Affairs Officers
• HR Professionals
• Media Relations Professionals
• Environment, Quality Health and Safety Employees
• Investor Relations Personnel
• Procurement and Supply Chain Specialists

Course Outline

Day 1: Overview of ESG

• Introduction to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria.
• Introduction to all the related issues of ESG.
• Why and how are ESG initiatives and policies measured?
• How has sustainability and circularity become integral components to ESG policy making?
• The ESG, Sustainability and Circularity Business Cases with specific business models.
• Criticism of ESG and an examination of alternatives.

Day 2: The Big Picture

• Understanding the BIG Picture or the ESG landscape (i.e. the whole system).
• Systemic changes in the supply chain and their impact.
• Stakeholder classifications and the impact of company’s ESG policies on them.
• Effective Stakeholder Management strategies.
• Practical, ethical and legal issues related to communication with stakeholders.

Day 3: The Regulatory Framework

• SDG and the many regulatory frameworks that affect your company’s decisions. 
• Concrete Steps for Sustainability Report Creation.
• ESG Metrics and measurement challenges. 
• Sustainability Reporting Standards.
• Taxonomies, Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) Standards, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Sustainability Return on Investment (SROI), etc.

Day 4: Creating Your Own ESG Roadmap

• Understand ESG Reporting Standards.
• Understand investor expectations.
• Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI)
• The role of Certifications
• Compare Circulytics, ecovadis and Solvay SPM

Day 5: Global Perspectives & Insights

• The Future Outlook 
• The Role of Technology
• Introduction to Doughnut Economics
• The Agile Strategy