10 questions for boards new to ESG to consider

It’s always useful to see what questions other directors are asking to consider whether your directors should be asking the same questions. That’s why I love this Protiviti article – it’s useful as food for thought. The article lists 10 questions about ESG reporting that directors should consider. The ten questions are:

1. Have we set compelling sustainability targets and goals that appeal to the marketplace?
2. What story are we telling the street?
3. Can we integrate our ESG reporting with financial reporting?
4. What reporting framework are we using, and why?
5. What accountabilities have we set for ESG-related performance?
6. Is our ESG reporting satisfying the needs of the investment community and other stakeholders?
7. What are our ESG risks, and how well are we managing them?
8. What have we done to ensure that our ESG-related disclosures are reliable?
9. Does — and if not should — our independent auditor have a role in ESG reporting?
10. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected our ESG reporting?

Yes, these are high-level questions. But these are for the board – and serve as a nice checklist to match up against what is being discussed in the boardroom already. Protiviti’s article has some color commentary on the 10 questions, as does this blog from Cooley’s Cydney Posner.

And in this piece – “Climate Disclosure and the Role of the Board” – Marsh McClennan’s Lloyd Yates (the ESG Committee Chair) and Katherine Brennan (Corporate Secretary & Chief Compliance Officer) share their seasoned insights on ways in which the board may structure its climate disclosure oversight responsibilities and evaluate management’s approach to identifying, assessing, managing, and disclosing material risks…