1 - The battle for reporting principles is underway between the various standard-setting organizations. The IASB and EFRAG, as well as the SEC, are currently preparing (or have produced) the first drafts of their standards (ISSB and ESRS). Europe is the continent with the most experience in this field. It has just published its timetable for new sustainability reports. This will apply from the 2024 financial year.
CSR teams will need to be up to date on reporting issues by 2023. To meet reporting deadlines in subsequent years, listed companies will have to gather and format new sustainability information. All this will be done within the framework of a Green Taxonomy, which is also currently maturing.
2 - Employee training
Another challenge for companies is to train their employees to meet the demands and needs of the ecological transition. To develop the skills needed for sustainable transformation, employees will need to be trained in CSR, climate and biodiversity issues. It is just as important to create a common knowledge and awareness base as it is to develop specific skills, such as responsible communication, responsible purchasing, ESG analysis, and so on.
Surveys show that employees want to be able to integrate sustainability into their working lives and give meaning to their work every year. Employers are getting more involved in training their employees thanks to the many tools available: MOOC Fresques, e-learning, immersive training, coconstruction workshops, and MOOC Fresques.
3 - Leading the leaders
Companies will need to involve and train their leaders in order to make a real commitment to social and ecological transition. The board of directors and company executives play a key role in defining the strategic direction of sustainability. They are the ones who decide on the direction of the organization's business models and positioning. All those responsible for strategic, operational and other areas must be fully trained and committed.
4 - Frugality, sobriety and frugality
It's hard to ignore the importance of sobriety in the current energy crisis. This notion is at the heart of every public and private player's reflections. CSR departments, however, have taken this issue seriously and are now trying to implement a strategy based on frugality, sobriety and waste reduction.
