Frankly Speaking - A Podcast on Responsible Business

Frank Bold

Frankly Speaking is a double award-winning podcast on responsible business by Frank Bold - discussing the latest political, legal and business developments in the field of ESG, business and human rights and corporate reporting. Host Richard Howitt is a pioneer in the field of corporate disclosure and former Member of the European Parliament. He speaks frankly and personally about what moves policy makers, business and activists to make responsible business the norm and last but not least - redefine business!

  1. 2D AGO

    #103 Emily Farnworth: The ‘G’ in ESG – Board Directors & Sustainability

    Often the weaker side of current corporate sustainability practice, governance – the ‘G’ in ESG – covers everything from how decisions are made, to transparency, oversight and accountability within company boards. But as an essential component of companies' journey to net zero, how can they better integrate sustainability into the heart of their business?  In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Emily Farnworth, CEO of Chapter Zero Alliance, an NGO supporting board directors across 70 countries to lead on climate and nature governance.  Together they discussed Chapter Zero Alliance’s new Principles for Climate and Nature Governance in partnership with the World Economic Forum, and how they can help board directors across the world in their sustainability governance processes. You’ll also hear about:  Why progress has been slow in sustainability governance, and what needs to change   How companies can make sustainability an authentic part of business strategy  The importance of board attitudes and mindset towards stakeholders in the new Principles   How intergenerational conversations on sustainability within family-owned businesses is sparking change within corporate governance   Emily’s one question to board members and senior management within companies to make effective sustainability governance a reality   Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!

    36 min

  2. FEB 11

    #102 Benjamin Claeson & Babul Akhter: How to Undertake Worker-Centric Due DIligence

    How can companies better integrate worker-centred approaches to their due diligence processes?  In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Benjamin Claeson, Programme Officer at the Value Chains Unit at Swedwatch and author of the report “Overdue Diligence” on worker-centred due diligence, as well as Babul Akhter, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Garments & Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF).  Together they discussed why current efforts towards corporate due diligence are failing to adequately protect workers and communities globally, and how stronger engagement with worker-centred approaches can help bridge this gap. You’ll also hear about:  The general position of workers in Bangladesh  Examples of companies that are already imbedding worker-centred approaches in their due diligence mechanisms at different points in their supply chain   The severe funding shortfall in worker-centred approaches to due diligence currently and why better financing is so important in protecting workers and communities across the world  Whether the Accord following the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh succeeded, and what has followed since   Benjamin and Babul’s message to European companies   Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!

    36 min

  3. JAN 28

    #101 Patrick de Cambourg: EU Sustainability Standards – the Inside Story

    As the European Commission now prepares a Delegated Act for the new European Sustainability Reporting Standards, how should we reflect back on the entire simplification process conducted by the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG)?  In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Patrick de Cambourg, the outgoing chair of EFRAG and former president of the French accounting standard-setting public authority ANC.  Together they reflected upon the early preparations for the European sustainability reporting standards, as well as the behind-the-scenes of the simplification exercise conducted last year. You’ll also hear about:  Whether the Brussels effect is still alive   The biggest disagreements within EFRAG during the simplification process, and how they were overcome   The variation between the new ESRS and the International Sustainability Standards Board global standards  Patrick’s vision for how sustainability reporting will develop in the future   His parting message to EFRAG  Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!

    40 min

  4. JAN 20

    #100 Rachel Davis, Wim Bartels & Filip Gregor: Sustainability Now – 100th Edition Special Debate

    Sustainability reporting, sustainable finance, business and human rights – where are we now in Europe and globally on these three major issues?  In this special 100th edition of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Rachel Davis, Vice President and Co-Founder of the Shift Project, Wim Bartels, Senior Sustainability Partner for Europe at Deloitte and Filip Gregor, Head of Responsible Companies Section at Frank Bold.  Together they debated what’s in store in this next phase of corporate sustainability in Europe and discussed what change they are each bringing to the sustainability world in their work. You’ll also hear about:  To what extent sustainable finance is still on track   Rachel’s verdict on the actual state of play of human rights due diligence across the world   The leitmotif of US diplomacy, and what it means for Europe   The progression of corporate sustainability and due diligence legislation in Asia, and its implications   Rachel, Wim and Filip’s favourite Frankly Speaking podcast episodes   Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!

    57 min

  5. JAN 13

    #99 Robert Adamczyk: What is the State of Play on Green Finance?

    What progress has been made in the world of sustainable finance?  In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Richard Howitt was joined by Robert Adamczyk, Senior Environmental Adviser at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which has already fully aligned its activities with the Paris Agreement, and member of both the European Reporting Financial Advisory Group (EFRAG) and the Technical Review Group for the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). Together they discussed how international financial institutions (IFIs) have increasingly integrated social and environmental criteria into their lending, and what impact it has had so far. You’ll also hear about:  How EBRD ensures that Best Available Techniques (BAT) are applied at the plant level   The bank’s experience in supporting Central and Eastern European countries with their transition to a market economy, as well as their sustainability transition – and the challenges in doing both at the same time   Whether IFIs are still investing too much into fossil fuels   The greatest challenges facing development banks, including financing and developing feasible projects   Robert’s perspective on the comparison between the European Sustainability Reporting Standards and International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards  Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!

    47 min

  6. JAN 6

    #98 Marianne Gros & Robert Hodgson: What’s Coming in Sustainability in 2026?

    What should you be looking out for in the corporate sustainability space in 2026?  For this very first episode of Frankly Speaking in 2026, Richard Howitt was joined by Marianne Gros, Sustainability Reporter at Politico Europe, and Robert Hodgson, Energy, Environment and Transport Editor at Euractiv to predict what's going to happen in the sustainability field this year. Together they assessed whether the final Omnibus 1 deal agreed at the end of last year really marks the end of sustainability Omnibus debate, as well as the timeline for its transposition into national law. You’ll also hear about:  The second Omnibus package from the European Commission targeting environmental rules   If water will take centre stage in corporate sustainability this year, with the planned EU Ocean Act   How debates around the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) may play out this year, including the response both internally in the EU and from the US  The chances of the EU’s Green Claims Directive being revived in 2026   Whether the Global Plastics Treaty might be agreed this year   Marianne and Robert’s main prediction for how sustainability will develop in 2026  Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!

    41 min

  7. 12/29/2025

    #97 Matt Orsagh: Is There a Case for Degrowth?

    Is infinite economic growth compatible with life on a planet with finite resources?  In final episode of Frankly Speaking this year, Richard Howitt was joined by Matt Orsagh, co-founder of the Arketa Institute for Post-Growth Finance and former Senior Director of Capital Markets at the CFA Institute, to confront one of the most controversial questions in sustainability today: is it time to move beyond growth itself?  Together they discussed whether conventional sustainability thinking is no longer enough as well as the Arketa Institute’s latest paper By Disaster or Design. You’ll also hear about:  Why climate action based on green growth and energy efficiency may actually increase total resource use  How Jevons Paradox undermines many well-intentioned sustainability strategies  What the planetary boundaries framework reveals about how close we are to ecological breakdown  Why decoupling growth from emissions is, in Matt’s view, a mathematical impossibility  Matt’s belief that prosperity must be redefined beyond GDP and wealth accumulation  What a post-growth, locally-rooted financial system could look like in practice  Matt’s perspective on the crucial role of imagination in designing a viable future  Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!

    40 min

  8. 12/18/2025

    #96 Julia Otten & Andreas Rasche: The Definitive Guide to the Final EU Omnibus

    The Omnibus 1 agreement has finally been signed off – but what happens next?  In this last episode before the Christmas break, Frank Bold’s Senior Policy Officer Julia Otten and Andreas Rasche, Assistant Dean and Professor of Business in Society at Copenhagen Business School, return to the Frankly Speaking podcast, hosted by Richard Howitt, to give their final verdict on what the Omnibus 1 means for the effectiveness of sustainability legislation in the EU.  Together they discussed to what extent the final Omnibus package provides certainty to businesses and broke down the key changes to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). You’ll also hear more about:  How the Omnibus 1 changes may impact businesses in the future – including the risk of facing heavier burdens due to less available information  The significance of the Ombuswoman’s finding of malpractice by the European Commission during this Omnibus 1 process, especially for future simplification packages  The role of the far-right in pushing through the final Omnibus 1 text, and why companies have an obligation to speak out   Whether historians writing on this period may still regard this era of simplification as a step forward, not a step back  Julia and Andreas’s advice to companies on what they should do now the final Omnibus 1 package has been concluded  Listen in and follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube!

    32 min
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About

Frankly Speaking is a double award-winning podcast on responsible business by Frank Bold - discussing the latest political, legal and business developments in the field of ESG, business and human rights and corporate reporting. Host Richard Howitt is a pioneer in the field of corporate disclosure and former Member of the European Parliament. He speaks frankly and personally about what moves policy makers, business and activists to make responsible business the norm and last but not least - redefine business!

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