Once you go sustainable, you never go back. Careers in sustainability may not always be obvious, but once you get involved in the sector, it has its claws in you.

Richard Mason is Positive Business Director at Pentland Brands – who include Speedo, Canterbury, Berghaus, and many more brands under their umbrella – and is a two-times Lancaster University graduate.

Richard talking us through how sustainability threaded through and was inspired by his studies at Lancaster and went on to influence his subsequent professional roles with the likes of AO and Burberry. And as we consider how we each end up in our careers, Jan reveals a boring teenage rebellion that revolved around accounting, Richard reveals how his mum sent him in the right direction.

We find out how sustainability has grown over the last two decades, and how it no longer sits separately from the rest of a company but rather as part of everything.

As we delve into how corporations consider sustainability in their operations, Richard talks about how businesses balance sustainability and innovation with considering consumers – while not being dragged down by unengaging jargon – and the influence of global politics on business operations.

We look at the challenges of brands selling clothes they do not always manufacture in-house, how clothing brands collaborate when it comes to sustainability in their supply chains, the challenges that regulations present to corporations, and how companies can no longer make unfounded green claims.

Plus, can you ski in Belgium? When is a journalist not a journalist? And did we really find some positives about AI?!

Discover more about Pentland Brands: https://pentlandbrands.com/our-brands/

And you can see the six points to check when figuring out if a green claim is genuine, or take part in a quiz on green claims to see if you understand the rules, here: https://greenclaims.campaign.gov.uk/

We’re boarding the EU Omnibus to see how European corporate reporting regulating affect businesses – tens of thousands of them – within the EU and beyond.

The EU has been a major innovator when it comes to sustainability regulation, but it has not come without controversy. Professor Andreas, from the Copenhagen Business School Centre for Sustainability, joins us to talk about the changes that we have seen in recent years, where they have worked – and where there have been issues.

We talk about why the EU gets involved in sustainability directives and regulations in the first place; discover how they have been a pacesetter in the field; and show how regulations are more than just red tape, but also question how they could be improved.

We touch on the ambitions of the Green Deal, the environmental taxonomy, Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulations (SFDR), the attempts of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to standardise sustainability reporting, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), and try to understand the scope of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). All the while trying not to drown in acronym soup and looking at the whole as one big system.

We see how thousands of companies have been affected – even if they don’t have to report themselves; how politics has pushed back against regulations, with the USA playing a role from outside; where the omnibus comes into everything (it’s not an actual bus); and the ever-changing nature of regulations, and why that can cause confusion.

Plus, we send Goldilocks on the hunt for just the right level of regulation; come to understand the concept of smart compliance – companies following the rules even if they don’t have to; and we look at how other countries are following Europe’s lead, and may even overtake the EU when it comes to regulations.

And we might even mention Brexit – however briefly.

For an overview of the EU’s Green deal: https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en

Information about the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is here: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/sustainable-finance/disclosures/sustainability-related-disclosure-financial-services-sector_en

And to understand the rationale for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive: https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/doing-business-eu/sustainability-due-diligence-responsible-business/corporate-sustainability-due-diligence_en

Episode Transcript

What is a taxonomy? Why are they important? How do they touch upon sustainability? And why should anyone with an interest in financial markets pay them attention?

Dr Charika Channuntapipat knows more about taxonomies than most people – certainly than Paul – and is perfectly placed to answer all these questions. Charika is a researcher and social scientist based in Bangkok, Thailand, where she works for the Thai Stock Exchange.

She gives us insight into how taxonomies decide which economic activities are environmentally sustainable, what the key objectives are, and how these and their enforcement can vary from country to country, and region to region. We discuss the concepts of the objectives (to which taxonomies seek to channel funding); Do No Significant Harm (DNSH), and its importance when deciding if an action is considered ‘green’; and Minimum Social Safeguards (MSS), which relate to human rights and community impacts.

Charika also tells us about the overall sustainability picture in Thailand – both environmentally and economically – and how the government has strengthened governance around sustainability and is pursuing ambitious climate change goals.

We learn how the Thailand taxonomy is a living document, that can evolve as sustainable technologies and endeavours become obsolete. And we discuss the importance of varied and local expertise in shaping policies, the complications of involving so many voices in its creation, and how different taxonomies around the world can complement each other.

And find out why Paul and Jan have gone down a road of confusion with stuffed badgers.

Enjoy a taste of the fast-moving world of taxonomies around the world here: https://www.climatebonds.net/expertise/taxonomy/world-taxonomies

And see more on the second phase of Thailand’s Taxonomy here: https://www.bot.or.th/en/news-and-media/news/news-20250527.html

Episode Transcript