Action and urgency

Companies are increasingly aware of the importance of sustainability and are engaged in the issue. But awareness of the degree of urgency and need for rapid change is still lacking. All the parties in the chain bear a responsibility – so get started on what you can do yourself right away.

The role of investors

Investors want sustainability, and transparency with respect to sustainability. Of course they still want to know about financial performance, but they increasingly also want to know the impact of a company on people and society. This is something a company can study. What exactly do investors wish to know? What is necessary for this? Investors will increasingly drive the sustainability agenda and call for change.

Don’t wait

At the same time, it is important that companies do not wait until we have uniform regulation in place. Taking action now will be better and cheaper than delaying for a number of years. It is always difficult to make a start, but after this things will become easier, certainly once the sector has uniform standards in place.

Transparency alone will not be enough

We will not achieve a transition to a sustainable society solely by being transparent. Change will happen because of our own actions and realistic pricing of the real cost of CO2 emissions for our society. The issue is about how committed companies are to society.  

Not as an add-on, but in all business processes

Despite the good will, we are still seeing a lack of knowledge. Some companies still do not understand how to give form to their good intentions. it is important that they do not see this as an additional activity. Sustainability and transparency with respect to sustainability need to be integrated in all business processes. What is your company’s impact today, and what would like this impact to be?

Legislation

One issue in sustainability reporting is the lack of uniform standards. Much work on this is currently in progress in Europe. What methodologies should we use, and how can these be compared with each other? We need standardised and harmonised rules for good and uniform reporting on actual impacts.

The role of the AFM

In its role as supervisor, the AFM can encourage the sector to move in the right direction. So not only as a strict referee after the fact, doling out fines and warnings. We have an important role in facilitating the learning process, making information available and acting as an intermediary between society and the financial sector.