ESG requires bravery—otherwise you’re greenwashing

13 October 2023 / Andrew Magowan

Issue: 8044 / Categories: Features , Profession , ESG

Bravery is the key to ensuring you don’t end up daubed in greenwash, says Andrew Magowan

Focusing on three key things when evaluating anything from a sustainability perspective helps. These are: prioritising; asking questions; communicating openly & honestly.
Purely focusing on rules and regulation can be, at best, a wasted opportunity. But at worst, it’s a dereliction of our duties as lawyers.

Question: what is a lawyer’s natural habitat? Where are they generally most comfortable?

I’m sure there’ll be a range of answers among everyone reading this. But I reckon a fair number will picture lawyers being happy in detail—happy in interpreting, making sense of and applying complicated, technical requirements. After all, isn’t that what all those years of reviewing cases and legislation trained us all to do?

And there is a lot of truth in that. When I see lawyers involved in sustainability, I see them getting bogged down in the ‘detail’ of helping businesses meet ever increasing reporting obligations in each of the jurisdictions they’re operating in. Lawyers

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content

If you are already a subscriber sign in

...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

ESG requires bravery—otherwise you’re greenwashing

Bravery is the key to ensuring you don’t end up daubed in greenwash, says Andrew Magowan

Focusing on three key things when evaluating anything from a sustainability perspective helps. These are: prioritising; asking questions; communicating openly & honestly.
Purely focusing on rules and regulation can be, at best, a wasted opportunity. But at worst, it’s a dereliction of our duties as lawyers.

Question: what is a lawyer’s natural habitat? Where are they generally most comfortable?

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content

If you are already a subscriber sign in

...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

SourceURL:

Links:

E-newsletter Sign-Up

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS

Read All

Stress at work for corporate counsel

One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)

Chancery Lane says no to LeO

The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers

Human rights concerns for patients, prisoners & immigration detainees

Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned

Licensing fast-track for conveyancing & probate professionals

Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals

Stress at work? Join the (employment tribunal claim) queue

Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace

Error message

ESG requires bravery—otherwise you’re greenwashing

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Freeths—Louise Mahon