Doing It On Purpose - In conversation with Giles Gibbons

In this conversations episode, Matthew Gwyther and Giles Gibbons discuss where sustainability is now, what non-financial audit is likely to mean for corporates in the next few years, what Giles thinks about the ever-increasing squadrons of ESG consultants selling their wares, why Good Business has remained relatively small and what Giles makes of the Bud Lite Trans blow up.

I have known Giles for twenty years during which time I’ve watched corporate responsibility morph into corporate social responsibility and then sustainability and ESG with a bit of “purpose” shoe-horned in. 

Good Business has been running for almost three decades and Gibbons bears the scars of many campaigns - from the ill-fated but interesting Big Society project with David Cameron through all his interesting work in the food and hospitality industry and work with big corporates like GSK, Disney, Coca Cola and The Gates Foundation. 

Giles knows what he’s talking about which is why I must have interviewed him half a dozen times. He's normally my first port of call as a journalist writing about these issues. He gives great, authentic and uncompromising quotes which are always free of word salad flannel with a greenwash dressing.

But he is still pushing and has recently written "We’ve gone from pushing water uphill to a time where social and environmental issues are an essential part of the mainstream business landscape".

We’re now reaching a point where delivering the change becomes much harder. Businesses have taken the (relatively) easy steps. The actions they need to take next are harder. They require more substantive change and in some cases significant capital expenditure. At the same time, the buffer put in place by the relative success of their sustainability action so far is protecting the business from the kind of exposure and criticism that would galvanise decision-makers. So action is stalling. 

In our conversation about where sustainability is now, we discuss what non-financial audit is likely to mean for corporates in the next few years, what he thinks about the ever-increasing squadrons of ESG consultants selling their wares, why Good Business has remained relatively small and what he makes of the Bud Lite Trans blow up.

Jericho Conversations is one of a number of initiatives that spontaneously emerged during the first COVID lockdown – part of a determination to use moments of crisis to pivot towards a better, fairer, more equitable and sustainable future for all. By popular demand, we have reignited the series to help find surprising and refreshing solutions and insights into a world in constant flux. Each conversation – led by an expert speaker – is designed to keep Jericho communities engaged and thinking about “what comes next?” for business and society.