This is the question No. 1 that sustainability consultants get asked right now- what others do and how they do it. ESG takes over the business internally and everyone wants to be ‘in the loop’. At the same time, companies don’t want to take unnecessary risks and experiments, they want a clear picture of what to expect, how much time it will take and how much each effort along the sustainability path will cost, so they can plan and prepare effectively.

If we think about the issues that concern the consumers in relation to protecting the environment, we will definitely find packaging in the Top 5. Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine any product without packaging. It has been a permanent part of our daily life.

Recently, New York was host to the annual Climate Week. Other than the current issues such as the environmental threats from the war in Ukraine and the gas crisis, the spotlight was again on new climate goals. The UN’s Race to Zero campaign gave instructions to financial institution to avoid funding businesses related to fossil fuels and energy sources. Instead of following orders, however, the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), which currently holds 40% of the world’s banking assets, objected singling out some economic sectors at the expense of others.

We won’t talk about trends in fashion. Although what we are going to talk about is already trendy. But more on that in a moment. Look around – what are you wearing today? T-shirt, pants, dress or something else? You have chosen them according to your taste, you have matched them according to color, material, and season. But do you know where these clothes came from and where they are going?

Marriage is usually voluntary – it is the union of two people, but also a contract that establishes the obligations of their relationship. Similarly, the flirtation between sustainable development policies and regulations is now formalized. Europe and the whole world have set specific climate goals or as the Paris Agreement states: “limiting the increase in temperature to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels”. And since the change in attitudes is slower than what the European institutions had in mind, they have turned their heads to business. This is how ESG was created – the tools with which companies must achieve the goals of the green transition.

You’ve decided to collect your waste separately. You do a short research and start – you place two or three bins next to the one you already have, and you throw away the plastics, paper, and glass separately. It goes well, until one day you see the waste collection truck emptying the garbage bins. Is everything you diligently separated being mixed and collected together?