and governance issues to be monitored and addressed at a much larger scale .”

In conclusion , he says : “ This year will be pivotal for organisations globally to leverage innovation along with strategic foresight , to build more resilient , sustainable , and socially responsible supply chains .

“ There has never been more pressure for responsible sourcing professionals to rethink approaches to meeting ESG goals .

“ This means being agile in a fast-changing legislative and economic climate for responsible sourcing and due diligence . A one-size-fits-all approach has proven to not be enough , paving the way to a more holistic and ethical approach .

“ As a leading global assurance partner , LRQA will continue to support clients with their due diligence requirements and is ready to help companies looking to respond .”

2013 – rise of ESG investment ESG investment begins to drastically increase , following heightened interest in the correlation between corporate sustainability and positive financial results .

2015 – The Paris Agreement In 2015 , the Paris Agreement – a legally binding international treaty on climate change – is signed by most leading countries . This encourages investors to begin targeting companies with ESG-compliant supply chains .

2018 – GRI ( Global Reporting Initiative ) Standards allow organisations to publicly report the impacts of their activities in a transparent way to stakeholders . Launched in 2000 , they begin to see serious ESG traction around 2018 .

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