Together, we are facing a complex task: achieving a sustainable society. As a company or institution, you can no longer ignore it: your activities have an impact on people, the environment and society. The transition to sustainability means that, as an organisation, you must take responsibility for this. Organisations that lead the way in this respect adopt the so-called ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) values and act accordingly.
But how can you put this into practice? How do you deal with the rapidly changing wishes and demands of consumers, society and legislators? Do you have the right knowledge and skills? And how do you take the first steps in the transformation that is required to achieve this? This is a challenge for many organisations. This is why Nyenrode Business Universiteit and KPMG have set up the ESG Innovation Institute (EII). The Institute combines Nyenrode's educational expertise and academic research in the field of ESG with KPMG's specialist ESG knowledge and practical experience. A cast-iron combination to accelerate the route to sustainability in a well-considered and professional manner and to make a real impact towards building a sustainable society.
Necessary adjustments in vision, mission, strategy and processes and systems
Implementing sustainability requires business leaders to let go of traditional cornerstones, because revenue, profit, market share and customer satisfaction are no longer the most important indicators of success. Rather, the impact of operations on people, the environment and society is becoming increasingly important in that respect. This necessitates an adjustment in terms of vision, mission, strategy, processes and systems, as well as further exploration into other revenue models, cooperation in innovation ecosystems and the joint search for best practices that can be implemented. In short: we need new frameworks and a reassessed positioning and management of companies. Exactly what should be changed and how is new territory where much remains to be discovered, both in terms of legislation and regulations and what the new indicators of success will be. Organisations can create added value with the ESG themes in their business operations by striking a balance between financial and economic results, transparency, social interests and the environment.
Enrich your ESG knowledge, skills and network with KPMG and Nyenrode
On the one hand, the ESG courses and programmes provided by the ESG Innovation Institute offer you the compass you need along the way to realise your ESG ambitions. On the other hand, they give you the knowledge, skills and network you need to make progress – in a well-founded and well-considered way, of course. We do this in a way that taps into collective creativity to arrive at innovative solutions. It is about looking together at the ESG challenges in the world and your own role therein, and also together – in a process of 'co-creation' – arriving at new insights and concrete solutions.
No organisation can make the transformation towards achieving sustainability on its own. Systems thinking is crucial to understand how developments are interrelated and what strategies are needed to deal with ESG risks and opportunities. This cannot be achieved without partnerships. Cooperation with companies, NGOs, governments, financial institutions and knowledge institutes is essential. Systems thinking therefore has an important place in the ESG courses. In addition, the ESG Innovation Institute explicitly aims to stimulate such partnerships and promote cooperation.
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Esther van Zeggeren
Director Brand, Reputation & Marketing
KPMG in the Netherlands
VanZeggeren.Esther@kpmg.nl
