Engaging ESG with Jennifer Owens and Kati Kallins

Scope 3 emissions are the big beast many companies must tackle to truly reduce their carbon footprint. In this episode, Jennifer and Kati explore how major companies like Walmart are going beyond their own operations to drive emissions reductions across their vast supply chain. They also look at what lies beyond Scope 3 in the journey towards true net zero. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Episode Links CEO Doug McMillon: Walmart’s supply chain cut 1 billion tons of emissions 6 years ahead of schedule | GreenBiz Walmart reaches halfway to Project Gigaton | GreenBiz Why a Sustainable Supply Chain Should Be a Business Imperative | Progressive Grocer Scoping out: Tracking nature across the supply chain - CDP The SBTi releases new reports to help accelerate corporate climate action beyond the value chain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the roofs over our heads to the floors beneath our feet, the environment built around us surrounds us an estimated 90% of our day — everyday. In this episode, Kati and Jennifer consider what it takes to make our homes and workplaces healthy, from our carpets, desks and office chairs to massive green roofs designed to support biodiversity. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Episode Links Google I/O 2021: Being helpful in moments that matter New progress toward our 24/7 carbon-free energy goal Building with Mushrooms to Reduce Drywall Waste | landfill, sustainability Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to the road ahead there are no easy fixes, only continuing progress, for the automotive industry. Relatable education on the nuances, trade-offs and limitations in play across vehicles, supply chains and business models are key but so are activist voices. In this episode, Kati and I flip the script and explore climate activist messaging targeting the auto industry, focusing on great examples of emotional, visceral and innovative creative work — while also assessing their impact on the industry overall. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Episode Links We Tried to Warn You! Environmental Crisis Posters, 1970–2020 ‘Crying Indian’ Ad That Targeted Pollution to Be Retired - The New York Times Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda talks about why he isn't all-in on EVs — and what made him do a 'happy dance' How to make automotive companies sustainable | EY - Global US Could Become Odd Market Out in EV Success Story Fake ads mocking corporate sponsors of the COP21 climate talks pop up in Paris | CBC News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just Transition seeks to build economic and political power for communities to move away from extractive systems towards regenerative ones — but what will take to get there? In this episode, Jennifer + Kati consider the frameworks and elements that fuels the work towards a just transition, including reparations, social equity as well as decentralizing production/consumption. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Episode Links Just Transition - Climate Justice Alliance Plenty Opens World’s Most Technologically Advanced Indoor Vertical Farm in Compton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The finance sector is key to unlocking the system-wide change needed to reach net-zero emissions and a recent survey finds the vast majority of senior investors and business executives planning to increase their ESG investment over the next five years. In this episode, Kati + Jennifer consider where financial institutions are investing and lending money — and how major players like Blackrock, Citi and Chubb are responding to stakeholder pressures. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Episode Links Thereal impact of the ESG backlash Investors,Businesses to Increase ESG Investment Despite Greenwashing Scrutiny & Political Pushback: Bloomberg Survey Sustainability in Insurance - MetLife, Liberty Mutual &HSBC ChubbAnnounces New Climate and Conservation-Focused Underwriting Standards for Oiland Gas Extraction - Mar 22, 2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Kati and Jennifer drive up a semi-sequel to our retail and packaging episode — as in what comes next when it comes to getting food into your fridge and your clothes in your closet. Shipping and trucking are complicated industries that touch nearly every aspect of our lives. In this episode we’ll consider how ESG professionals are communicating a puzzle that consists of a zillion interlocking pieces and impacts legions of stakeholders. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Episode Links California Pushes Electric Trucks as the Future of Freight - The New York Times Outrage and Optimism Podcast: Greening Shipping Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Kati + Jennifer cover how big familiar consumer brands like PepsiCo, H&M, Unilever and Amazon are approaching sustainability in packaging and materials — and the lessons we can take from them as ESG comms professionals. Join us as we dive into the upstream efforts of these companies to reduce waste and carbon emissions, learn how they are communicating these efforts to consumers and of course, consider how they are reacting to climate action criticism in real time. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Episode Links The Burning Problem of Japan’s Waste Disposal - Tokyo Review PepsiCo Struggles to Advance its Plastic Sustainability Goals | Packaging Dive H&M Launches Green Loan Program to Finance Suppliers’ Emissions Reductions Initiatives - ESG Today Why We Need a Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution Breaking the Plastic Wave: Top Findings for Preventing Plastic Pollution | The Pew Charitable Trusts Great Pacific Garbage Patch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fasten your seatbelts because we’re going to zoom into travel — specifically, airlines. It's certainly a hot topic for sustainability but it’s also a return visit for a theme we considered in Season One: airline advertising. From carbon-neutral claims to sustainable airline fuel, travel is a hotbed of sustainability questions, concerns and even lawsuits. Join Jennifer + Kati as they break it all down and consider its impact on ESG comms overall Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kati and Jennifer are back on the mic for a brand-new season of Engaging ESG. This time they're shifting gears to spotlight how specific industry sectors are navigating and communicating through the ever-evolving sustainability landscape. The new season kicks off with a round-up of key sustainability news and policy changes impacting the world of ESG comms. Have a question? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Episode Links COP28: Key takeaways for investors from the global climate summit Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters CSR Needs CPR: Corporate Sustainability and Politics New California Law Imposes Anti-Greenwashing Disclosure Requirements Starting January 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Kati and Jennifer are looking to the future of ESG comms work. From stories told at the intersection of diversity and sustainability to those told by AI, where do you see ESG content going? This episode marks the end of our current season but we’d love to hear what — or who! — you’d like us to cover in the future. Email us today at engagingESG@gmail.com. Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard. Episode Note Putting AI to Work for your Sustainability Communications by Nicole Loher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Kati and Jennifer are taking your ESG comms questions — from tips on building a global strategy to working with your subject matter experts without getting lost in the weeds and everything in between. Have another question for us to consider or a strategy you’d like us to cover? Email us today at engagingESG@gmail.com. Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get out your dirty laundry! This week Kati and Jennifer are talking greenwashing, diversity washing, rainbow washing — and what it means for our future when companies are too worried to talk about their ESG work at all. Have a question for us to consider or a strategy you’d like us to cover? Email us today at engagingESG@gmail.com. Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Customers are more conscious and informed about diversity, sustainability and social issues than ever before. This week, Kati and Jennifer discuss the important connection between authentic commitment and meaningful action — as well as what can happen when that connection doesn't exist. Have a question for us to consider or a strategy you’d like us to cover? Email us today at engagingESG@gmail.com. Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Kati and Jennifer dissect the difference between corporate ESG and ESG investment — and discuss what some opponents deem “woke capitalism.” How should your company respond to a dust-up over your efforts to curb emissions, improve circularity or crack down on discrimination in the workplace? We have thoughts. Have a question for us to consider or a strategy you’d like us to cover? Email us today at engagingESG@gmail.com. Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many companies speak of the importance of their “people” in driving company strategy and ESG topics are no different. This week, Kati and Jennifer focus on employee engagement, a key stakeholder group for your ESG communications strategy, and offer tips for educating employees, tackling real-time questions and empowering your “super greens” to act as ambassadors for your work. Have a question for us to consider or a strategy you’d like us to cover? Email us today at engagingESG@gmail.com. Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Partners can play an important role in not only in establishing or strengthening your ESG strategy but verifying and amplifying your messaging as well. This week on Engaging ESG, Jennifer and Kati spell out the benefits, challenges, and best practices of working with external organizations — and offer strategies for vetting the best partners to work with for your company. Have a question for us to consider or a strategy you’d like us to cover? Email us today at engagingESG@gmail.com. Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Engaging ESG, Jennifer and Kati discuss the evolving world of required and voluntary reporting — and how each impacts the other. From crafting an ESG narrative and deciding who owns it to targeting specific audiences where they live, we tackle what it really takes to create impact. Have a question for us to consider or a strategy you’d like us to cover? Email us today at engagingESG@gmail.com. Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Engaging ESG, Jennifer and Kati map the “who” and “what” of ESG comms, as in the many, many reports and content options available to your team and the even more stakeholders, partners and experts who will play a part in showing and sharing your ESG story. Have a question for us to consider or a strategy you’d like us to cover? Email us today at engagingESG@gmail.com. Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Engaging ESG, the new podcast that considers what it takes to get ESG communications right — and how it can go oh so wrong. This week, Jennifer Owens, former external content strategy lead for Meta Sustainability, and Kati Kallins, former head of sustainability engagement at Meta, map out the fundamentals of what Environmental, Social and Governance really means — to your business, to your customers, to our planet. Have a question for us to consider or a strategy you’d like us to cover? Email us today at engagingESG@gmail.com. Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Engaging ESG is a 10-part weekly series exploring the evolving landscape of ESG communications. Join Jennifer Owens, former external content strategy lead for Meta Sustainability, and Kati Kallins, former head of sustainability engagement at Meta, as they address the pitfalls and opportunities hidden in your ESG comms plan and provide practical answers you and your team can use today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices