All Things Sustainable

This year at the All Things Sustainable podcast, we've heard from many professionals who are uncertain about the future of climate action and sustainability and what’s ahead for their careers.   We've also heard from numerous companies that continue to pursue their sustainability strategies and climate targets, even as some are talking about this less in public or changing the language they use to describe their efforts. In today’s episode, we’re asking: How are sustainability professionals weathering the storm?   We speak to three guests on the sidelines of an event the UN Global Compact Mexico hosted in June:   We talk with Jill Dumain, founding partner at the corporate sustainability consultancy Fractal CSOs and former Director of Global Environmental Strategy at outdoor clothing and gear company Patagonia. She says the current headwinds are a temporary setback.   "It's very easy for all of us to be myopic around this moment in time: ‘The sky is falling in. Everything is against us,’" Jill says. "But in the grand scheme of things over an arc of 15 or 20 years, this is a little bump in the road."  We sit down with Simon Mainwaring, Founder and CEO of strategic brand consultancy We First, who explains why the current moment presents an opportunity.   “We got out over our skis a little bit in terms of acronyms and making it a little bit wonkish and heady, and that not only alienated a lot of people ... it set ourselves up to be politicized in a way that didn't really serve the intent behind this work,” Simon tells us. "As a result, we're being forced to walk back some of that wonkish language and reframe our language to reach back and take people with us.” And we hear from Christopher Lilholm, Global Head of ESG and Sustainability Services at DNV, an assurance and risk management firm. Listen to our episode How companies in Latin America are embedding sustainability amid shifting dynamics [https://www.spglobal.com/sustainable1/en/podcasts/how-companies-in-latin-america-are-embedding-sustainability-amid-shifting-dynamics].  Explore how companies are approaching sustainability via S&P Global Sustainable1's Corporate Sustainability Assessment data. [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/csa/?utm_source=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast&utm_medium=libsyn&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_id=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast]  The All Things Sustainable podcast from S&P Global will be an official media partner of The Nest Climate Campus during Climate Week NYC. Register free to attend here [https://www.thenestclimatecampus.com/register?utm_source=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast&utm_medium=libsyn&utm_campaign=Nest+campus+promo&utm_id=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast].  This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1 and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.    Copyright ©2025 by S&P Global      DISCLAIMER     By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk.      Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party’s unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global’s prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights).      This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.      S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

It's been more than three years since Russia invaded Ukraine. In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we're exploring how the conflict has prompted some businesses in Ukraine to lean in to sustainability. We'll also hear about companies' strategies to protect workers and address mental health challenges stemming from the war.  We talk with Tetiana Sakharuk, Executive Director of UN Global Compact Ukraine, about how the sustainability landscape is changing in Ukraine and how the UN Global Compact network is helping companies integrate sustainability into their operations — through training and accelerator programs, by connecting them with international investors and grant opportunities, and by setting up an online platform to support employees needing psychological help amid the war.  UN Global Compact Ukraine is a country-level network of the UN Global Compact (UNGC). The UNGC is a voluntary corporate sustainability initiative involving more than 20,000 companies across 160 countries. Participating companies commit to operate responsibly in line with sustainability principles on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption, and to support the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals.   In an interview on the sidelines of an event hosted by the UN Global Compact Mexico in June, Tetiana said Ukranian companies see sustainability as a way to attract investors and ensure the long-term viability of their businesses.   She shares how Ukrainian companies are rebuilding critical infrastructure like energy and removing mines from farmland. And she explains how some companies are supporting the health and wellbeing of their employees and communities.   Listen to our episode How companies in Latin America are embedding sustainability amid shifting dynamics here [https://www.spglobal.com/sustainable1/en/podcasts/how-companies-in-latin-america-are-embedding-sustainability-amid-shifting-dynamics].  Listen to our episode "Energy transition discussions shift to pragmatism amid policy uncertainty" here [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/energy-transition-discussions-shift-to-pragmatism-amid-policy-uncertainty].   Learn about S&P Global Commodity Insights' Energy Transition services [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/solutions/energy-transition?utm_source=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast&utm_medium=libsyn&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_id=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast].  This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1 and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.   Copyright ©2025 by S&P Global    DISCLAIMER    By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk.  Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party’s unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global’s prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights).     This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.  S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we’re on the ground in Mexico City, Mexico, to explore how companies in Latin America are embedding sustainability into their business strategies amid shifting market dynamics and new regulations.   We speak with Mauricio Bonilla, Executive Director of UN Global Compact Mexico, on the sidelines of the organization’s annual Business Meeting for Sustainability, which took place in June.   The UN Global Compact is a voluntary corporate sustainability initiative involving more than 20,000 companies across 160 countries. Participating companies have committed to operate responsibly in line with sustainability principles on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption, and to support the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals.   UN Global Compact Mexico is a country-level network of the UN Global Compact, and Mauricio explains how the network is working with companies of all sizes to drive sustainable business practices.   We also sit down with three UN Global Compact Mexico participant companies:  -Alejandro De Keijser, Director of Energy and Sustainability at Mexico-based Grupo DEACERO, a steel manufacturer with global operations.   -Alfonso Martínez, CEO of Industrias Marves, a Mexico-based textile recycling company.  -Tania Rabasa Kovacs, Orbia's Chief Sustainability Officer, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and President of Orbia Mexico. Mexico-based Orbia operates in more than 50 countries and focuses on several business lines.  Tania outlines challenges companies in Latin America face. This includes balancing the need for positive financial returns in the short term with longer term sustainability objectives; navigating regulatory uncertainty; adapting to the physical impacts of climate change; and ensuring local communities and economies benefit from the company's operations.    At the same time, she says: "Nobody is really giving up because the cost of inaction is much higher than that of the transformation."   Read the latest edition of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) adoption tracker from S&P Global Sustainable1 here [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/june-2025-where-does-the-world-stand-on-issb-adoption?utm_source=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast&utm_medium=libsyn&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_id=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast].    Learn more about S&P Global Sustainable1's Physical Climate Risk data. [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/solutions/physical-climate-risk-solutions?utm_source=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast&utm_medium=libsyn&utm_campaign=podcast&utm_id=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast]  This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1 and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.   Copyright ©2025 by S&P Global    DISCLAIMER    By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk.     Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party’s unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global’s prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights).     This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.    S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we’re taking listeners on a whistlestop tour of several big summer events in Europe that will shape sustainability discussions on the road to COP30, the UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil in November 2025.  We cover key outcomes from the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France — including progress toward a Marine Biodiversity Treaty.  We talk to Beth Burks, Director on the Sustainable Finance Markets team at S&P Global Ratings, about her takeaways from annual climate meetings in Bonn, Germany.   “If COP is like the big show every year, then Bonn is the dress rehearsal,” Beth explains.   Beth also shares highlights from London Climate Action Week, which in 2025 grew significantly to include more than 700 events and more than 45,000 attendees.   In the episode we also speak to Tom Beloe, Director of the Sustainable Finance Hub at the UN Development Programme, or UNDP. Tom shares big takeaways from the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, or FFD4, in Sevilla Spain. The conference took place for the first time in a decade this summer and centered around financing for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.   A unifying theme across all these events is the importance of multilateralism to address sustainability challenges that transcend borders, like climate change, nature loss and ocean conservation. Across these events, we also hear about the rising role the private sector plays in addressing and financing solutions to these challenges.   “I think we're seeing over the last 10 years a very much increasing trend of private sector participation,” Tom tells us. “Frankly, the discussions of finance that happen in these conferences are a little bit meaningless if we're not also convening with the largest financial institutions in the world.”  Learn about Climate Transition Assessments from S&P Global here [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/solutions/climate-transition-assessment?utm_source=All%20Things%20Sustainable%20podcast&utm_medium=libsyn&utm_campaign=methane]. Learn about energy transition data and services from S&P Global Commodity Insights here [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/solutions/energy-transition?utm_source=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast&utm_medium=libsyn&utm_campaign=methane&utm_id=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast].  This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1 and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.   Copyright ©2025 by S&P Global    DISCLAIMER    By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk.     Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party’s unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global’s prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights).     This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.    S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we take the show on the road to Singapore, where S&P Global Sustainable1 hosted its annual summit June 26. We sit down with leaders from the sustainable agriculture, banking and technology sectors to unpack key sustainability challenges and opportunities facing diverse Asia-Pacific markets. We discuss decarbonization technologies with Manish Pant, Executive Vice President of International Operations at Schneider Electric. Schneider Electric is a French multinational focused on electrification, automation and digitization that was just named the world’s most sustainable company by TIME and data firm Statista.     Manish explains how the company is working with clients to decarbonize and electrify at scale in a way that also prioritizes energy access, security and affordability. He characterizes the current moment as "the golden period for the Global South.”    “The demographic momentum, the focus on renewables as well as a lot of infrastructure development is what characterizes this part of the world,” he says. “The challenge and the opportunity that we have is we are going to be building a lot.”    We also speak with Kavickumar Muruganathan, Microsoft’s ESG Planning Director for Asia Pacific, Cloud Operations and Innovation, to understand how one of the world’s largest technology companies is thinking about developing AI; its use cases for sustainability; and how the company is developing data centers in the region.     We sit down with Justin Ma, Executive Director of Sustainable Finance at Standard Chartered Bank, to talk about trends in sustainable finance and the continued momentum he sees in Asia-Pacific markets.     And we explore how the agriculture sector is balancing food security, access and affordability while also improving the sustainability of agricultural practices in an interview with Nikita Asthana. Nikita is Head of Sustainability Finance at global agriculture services firm Olam Agri, and she explains how agricultural practices can impact climate change and nature loss and the role smallholder farmers play in sustainable agriculture.     “Climate change is the biggest threat to food security,” Nikita says. “The realization has to happen at scale and not just by a few companies that are more directly impacted. It has to happen at the scale of governments and policymakers. It has to happen at the scale of financial institutions.”   Listen to our podcast episodes from the S&P Global Sustainable1 Summit in London earlier this year:   Why businesses are going ‘back to basics’ in sustainability strategies [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/why-businesses-are-going-back-to-basics-in-sustainability-strategies]  Why insurance is becoming central to climate risk conversations [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/why-insurance-is-becoming-central-to-climate-risk-conversations]  How HSBC is financing infrastructure for a low-carbon economy [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-hsbc-is-financing-infrastructure-for-a-low-carbon-economy]  Learn about energy transition data and services from S&P Global Commodity Insights here [https://www.spglobal.com/esg/solutions/energy-transition?utm_source=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast&utm_medium=libsyn&utm_campaign=methane&utm_id=All+Things+Sustainable+podcast].  This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.       Copyright ©2025 by S&P Global   DISCLAIMER   By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk.    Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party’s unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global’s prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights).    This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.   S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.