The ESG and DEI Discussion - from Brussels to Washington

In this podcast, Harry Hecht, Philippa O’Malley and Moira Thompson Oliver sit down with Michael Arnold, Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, to revisit how ESG has been increasingly caught up in the electoral cycle on both sides of the Atlantic, with a particular focus on the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) discussion. 

They talk about:

• The changes the ‘Omnibus’ simplification package and ‘Competitiveness Compass’ will bring in the EU, and how companies can respond;
   
• Environmental developments in the US including withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, roll back of SEC climate rules, and state-level reporting developments;
   
• The sharper recent focus on DEI in the US, contrasted with what is happening in the UK including mandatory equality action plans and ethnicity and disability reporting;
   
• How boards can navigate the legal, reputational and remuneration-related tensions between different US, UK and EU approaches, both internally and externally; and 
   
• The uncertainty that is to come, including attempts to balance growth and sustainability and litigation over Trump’s executive orders.

You can listen to the podcast here. 

You can also revisit our previous two-part podcast on ESG in the Year of the Election (Part 1 and Part 2) which discusses the politicisation of ESG before, during and after the elections in the UK, US and Europe in 2024.