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James Meads's avatar

Great article, and nice to see a nuanced view of ESG that's neither coming from a fanboy nor a sceptic. As someone with a naturally libertarian view, I'm concerned about the direction we're going in. Just like GDPR, COVID lockdowns and overbearing health & safety requirements, it ultimately will push a lot of small businesses over the edge. This isn't a good thing. To me it's no coincidence that a country like Bulgaria, where I live, has more local, indie businesses because the government just gets out of people's way. However, on the other hand, something clearly needs to be done to ensure that corporations have ethical supply chains and are taking their environmental responsibilities seriously. I'd just rather it not be led by supranational, unelected NGOs with questionable motives.

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Daniel Barnes's avatar

Yo, James, thanks for taking a look at this.

So much nuance around this, and I share a similar view to yours.

I'll be looking into this more as the year goes on to see where we might be heading, and what people should be aware of.

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Jason Burgess's avatar

Great article Daniel. While the world works out how to measure the effectiveness of ESG practices, there is one thing you can do as an individual. Look at yourself in the mirror and ask, yourself “have I made a difference? Do I feel good about the outcome of this piece of work?”

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Daniel Barnes's avatar

I'm with you, Jason. I'm worried that the politicisation of ESG might hinder it but, if we continue with your question, we should do the right thing with each of our suppliers.

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