Amidst ESG Backlash, Companies Should (and Are) Staying the Course on Sustainability

What’s Around the Corner

Attacks on “Woke Capitalism” Go Global

Political movements globally weaponize attacks on “woke capitalism” to the detriment of companies taking stands on various topics, while political figures leverage attacks on business for their advantage and further divide societies.

Businesses committed to just and sustainable business are targeted as “elites” at odds with, and undermining, the “real” population and “ordinary people.”

Businesses can remain firmly committed to the fundamentals driving their commitments to just and sustainable business and make clear the long-term social, environmental, and economic benefits of their efforts.

Climate Despair Sparks More Direct Action by Climate Activists

Climate activists continue to escalate demonstrations in major cities from New York to London and take increasingly polarizing and disruptive tactics.

Direct actions will resonate with some citizens and alienate others. Some will perceive businesses to be more problematic and guilty of greenwashing rather than the solution. These deep divisions will render coherent public policy all but impossible.

Businesses need to communicate with humility, accuracy, and resolve to avoid greenwashing concerns, and they need to strengthen their advocacy efforts to promote sustained policy initiatives to speed the energy transition.

Coming Soon

In the wake of Roe v. Wade’s fall, the Center for Business and Social Justice provides guidance for companies on addressing this ongoing public health crisis.

The next Insights+ will dive into the implications of the Global Biodiversity Framework for Business following on from COP15.

Also coming soon: the latest on the arrival of new SEC regulations, and the adoption of the ISSB framework in CDP reports.

Our Experts

BSR's ESG team brings a depth of experience and knowledge to your sustainability strategy.

Aron Cramer

President and CEO

San Francisco

President and CEO, BSR

San Francisco

Aron is recognized globally as a preeminent authority on just and sustainable business. In addition to leading BSR, which has grown substantially throughout his tenure as President and CEO, Aron advises senior executives at BSR’s 300+ member companies and other global businesses and partners on the full spectrum of environmental, social, and governance issues.

Aron joined BSR in 1995 as the founding director of its Business and Human Rights program. He later opened BSR's Paris office in 2002, where he worked until becoming President and CEO in 2004. Aron has served on advisory boards to CEOs at AXA, Barrick Gold, Marks & Spencer, Nike, Recruit Holdings, SAP, Shell, and he serves as a director of the We Mean Business Coalition and RISE.

Aron speaks frequently at leading business and public fora and is widely quoted in top-tier media, such as the Financial Times, Le Figaro (France), The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Axios, and Politico. He is co-author of the book Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World, which spotlights innovative sustainability strategies that enable business success.

Prior to joining BSR, Aron practiced law in San Francisco and worked as a journalist at ABC News in New York. He holds a BA from Tufts University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Recent Insights From Aron Cramer

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Christine Diamente

Managing Director, Transformation

London

Managing Director, Transformation, BSR

London

Christine leads BSR’s Business Transformation team, helping companies to manage sustainability throughout their business and across their supply chains and to develop resilient business strategies that leverage insights from BSR’s Sustainable Futures Lab. She works with companies across sectors and geographies to structure a sustainability management approach that mitigates risk and captures emerging opportunities, creating strategic advantage for their businesses, while contributing to a more just, sustainable world.

She brings over 20 years of experience in leading brand, sustainability, public affairs, communications, and reputation management with multinational corporations at the executive leadership level. This also includes overseeing corporate relations with external stakeholders, such as the World Economic Forum, the UN, European institutions, and investors.

Previously, Christine was Head of Brand Strategy at Nokia. She has also held major roles at Alcatel-Lucent and Alcatel, leading Brand and Corporate Sustainability and European Affairs. Christine has also served on various boards, including as a chair of the Telecoms Industry Dialogue on human rights, as an advisory board member of Reuters Events Sustainability, as a member of the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation, and on the European Internet Foundation.

Christine holds a MA in History and a BA in History and International Politics from the University of Ottawa. She completed the Management Acceleration Program (MAP) at INSEAD, and she achieved the ESG Competent Boards Certificate and Global Competent Boards Designation (2021). She speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian.

Recent Insights From Christine Diamente

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David Korngold

Managing Director of BSR Innovation Group

New York

Managing Director of BSR Innovation Group, BSR

New York

David partners with corporate boards, executives, and investors to develop high-impact sustainability strategies. As part of BSR’s Transformation team, he co-leads engagement with boards of directors to promote effective board governance and leadership ambition on sustainability.

Having previously led BSR's Financial Services team, David continues to work closely with financial companies on sustainability, ESG integration, and impact investing. David has led engagements in nearly all of BSR’s focus areas and major industry groups. This includes leading climate scenarios workshops with boards, creating net-zero road maps for investment firms, designing and operationalizing a leading impact investing fund, conducting materiality assessments, undertaking human rights impact assessments, and co-authoring research on topics like ESG for emerging public companies and responsible investment policies for private equity firms.

Before joining BSR, David worked in strategy and management consulting at Bain & Company.

David holds a BA in History from Amherst College.