COP, one of the largest and most significant international conferences on environmental issues, just occurred in November in Azerbaijan. In this episode, you will hear from three Inogen Alliance members who attended the event and have been heavily involved in the negotiations as they share their insights and learnings from this year's gathering. We hear from Dr. Amr Abdel-Aziz, Chairman at Integral Consult in Egypt, Ilkin Haji, Founder & Executive Director at Sustainera Solutions in Azerbaijan, and Hilton Lucio, CEO of Antea Brasil.

---------

Guest Quotes

“COP to me is really where the decision making process related to issues related to climate occur. And by that I mean the negotiations track under the COP always results in decisions that are to be implemented by all parties to the convention. And these decisions are in fact not only climate related, but it impacts development, it impacts economies.” -Amr

“This year's adoption of NCQG, I think it's a positive signal that hope is not lost yet. So with global cooperation, with multilateralism, we can overcome some critical obstacles.” - Ilkin

“It's not a coincidence that this is attracting more and more of the private sector. All my clients, with no exception, are concerned about climate change much more than they were, I don't know, 15, 10 years ago. And now they have tangible discussions that they can understand as well, hey, this is going to cost something. We're going to have to contribute with our business to reach the national contributions. So it's very translatable to my world, the private sector, the business sector.” - Hilton

---------

Time Stamps

(00:00) Introduction to COP

(01:21) Panel guest intros

(03:00) Key insights and observations from COP29

(08:11) The role of the private sector

(11:17) Challenges and successes in climate negotiations

(28:34) Side events and their impact

(39:45) Looking forward to COP30 in Brazil

(47:27) Key takeaways

---------

Sponsor copy

Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.

---------

Links

Inogen’s COP 29 Roundtable Webinar: https://www.bigmarker.com/antea-group-usa/COP29-The-Way-Forward

Follow Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phildillard/

Follow Ilkin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilkinhaji/

Follow Amr on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amr-osama-abdel-aziz-4448a228/

Follow Hilton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilton-lucio-7429367/

Explore Inogen Alliance's resources: https://www.inogenalliance.com/resources

In this episode, we discuss the complexities of the energy transition with experts from Azerbaijan, Germany, Singapore and New Zealand. We hear from Peter Struck, Senior Project Manager at HPC, Ilkin Haji, Founder & Executive Director, Sustainera Solutions, Andrew Young, Group CEO, Envirosolutions & Consulting (ESC) and Scott Thomas, Solar Sector Lead and Geotechnical Consultant, Tonkin + Taylor. They discuss the unique aspects of their energy projects in their respective regions, helping to paint a picture of this nuanced topic across the globe.

---------

Guest Quotes

“I suppose Aotearoa and New Zealand is in a slightly different place to others in the world. We've got a reasonably high proportion of our energy currently classified as renewable. We're looking at 80 to 85 percent. So our energy transition isn't so much a transition to renewable energy, it's more of a continued growth in our renewable energy sector as we see a demand increase.” - Scott

“There's a big project, for example, from Australia that will have the world's longest cable, about four and a half thousand kilometers, which will run from Australia all the way to Singapore. So you've got these sort of regional cooperation things beginning to happen, and that's all really being driven by this energy transition.” - Andrew

“When we talk about the transportation, it is not a task of one country, right? In that sense, you need to work closely with your neighboring countries or the transit countries. One example, we are now planning to export green hydrogen and also gas to the EU. The route is that the pipe starts in Azerbaijan, it passes through Georgia and through Black Sea, it arrives in Romania, and through Romania it goes to the EU.” - Ilkin

“In Europe, oil and gas companies, they are one of the main investors in renewables.” - Peter

---------

Time Stamps

(00:00) The current energy transition landscape

(02:06) Panel with Ilkin and Peter

(26:43) Panel with Andrew and Scott

(54:37) Key takeaways

---------

Sponsor copy

Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.

---------

Links

Follow Phil on LinkedIn

Follow Ilkin on LinkedIn

Follow Peter on Linkedin

Follow Andrew on LinkedIn

Follow Scott on Linkedin

Harnessing Renewable Energy Responsibly: The Role of Environmental Impact Assessments

Explore Inogen Alliance's resources

In this second episode on EHS audits, we discuss the EMEA region and the U.S. We hear from experts Lauren Corbett-Noon, Senior Consultant, Antea Group, Robert Szucs-Winkler, CEO and founder of denxpert, and Dr. Roland Langmoen, Senior Consultant and Partner at Baden Consulting. The group explores the opportunity provided by audits and the role of auditors as helpers and educators.

---------

Guest Quotes

“Because EHS ESG becomes mainstream for companies, it's not anymore something operational, do something and we don't care at management. Management cares…. You are in the mainstream as an ESG professional, EHS professional, and the audits become more important. It becomes more business related and you're more in focus. And the auditor has a very important role in this process.” - Robert

“The role of the auditor, typically, or at least our approach is to help educate the facilities help educate those local personnel… We really take the approach and our role is there to help. So we encourage the facility level practitioners and personnel to ask us questions. We are here to help you and guide you, but they need to be open with us.” - Lauren

“For me, it's very important to be the helper. That we help the customer, the clients, in really making sure that his view on the legislation is the right one. My view on legislation is, of course, what I know for myself, but also experiences which we have from other customers who have a certain view and some legislation and how they solve this legislation. And this is essential to transfer this knowledge to our customers.” - Roland

---------

Time Stamps

(01:31) How EHS audits provide value

(09:33) Benefits to organizations

(10:12) The aging workforce challenge

(15:29) The importance of local cultural understanding

(18:24) The role of the auditor as a helper and educator

(23:34) Changes in the regulatory environment

---------

Sponsor copy

Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.

---------

Links

Follow Phil on LinkedIn

Follow Lauren on LinkedIn

Follow Robert on LinkedIn

Follow Roland on LinkedIn

Explore Inogen Alliance's resources

In this episode, we discuss EHS audits in the APAC region, diving into regional comparisons and how the industry has been evolving. We hear from experts David Cham, Country Manager, ESC Singapore, Sandra O’Brien-Kelly, Principal Environmental Scientist and Technical Director of Environmental Auditing and Sustainability, Tonkin + Taylor New Zealand and Tom Tang, Senior Project Manager, Anew Global Consulting in China. The group covers key drivers of change and their advice to multinational companies looking to do their audits more efficiently.

---------

Guest Quotes

“Build a local compliance team. It's very important to have a strong team local.” - Tom

“We're seeing EHS broaden to more social considerations and social factors, which is wonderful to see because we're getting much better results out of that.” - Sandra

“The importance of a local understanding is apparent, especially in Asia, Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia where language is an issue. Some of the regulations are written only in the local language and for multinationals to really understand what it means to comply, translating it to English may not capture the exact interpretation.” - David

---------

Time Stamps

(02:02) EHS Audits in Singapore

(04:05) EHS Audits in New Zealand

(05:47) EHS Audits in China

(07:38) The growing importance of remote audits

(08:54) The value of local understanding in EHS audits

(15:39) Drivers of change

(20:02) Tips for multinational companies

---------

Sponsor copy

Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.

---------

Links

Follow Phil on LinkedIn

Follow David on LinkedIn

Follow Sandra on LinkedIn

Explore Inogen Alliance's resources

In this episode, we explore the significance and practices of water stewardship, examining its global impact. We hear from experts Mariarosaria Gagliotti, Senior Consultant and Partner at Baden Consulting, Beatrice Bizzaro, Sustainability Consultant at HPC Italy and Water Working Group Leader with Inogen Alliance, C. Rajadurai, Senior Manager at Cholamandalam MS Risk Services, and Joseph Gui, Senior Partner at Anew Global Consulting. The discussion emphasizes the importance of community engagement, innovative technologies, and collective action for achieving water security and resilience.

---------

Guest Quotes

“Water stewardship is not an exact science…So what does it mean that the water stewardship is not an exact science? It means that we cannot fix water. Water needs continual care and attention.” - Mariarosaria

“The cost of doing nothing is always far greater than the cost of doing. So start your journey, learn, and improve along the way. Learn from others. That really is the power of sharing.” - Beatrice

“The important piece that you should be able to achieve with the society is building trust and a relationship with the community... which is crucial for gaining the community support and also ensuring the stewardship efforts are well received by the community.” - Raja

“Community engagement can empower local stakeholders to take part in the water management, fostering more effective solutions.” - Joseph

---------

Time Stamps

(00:00) Intro to the Alliance for Water Stewardship

(02:53) Defining water stewardship

(08:44) Experiences as AWS-certified professionals

(18:22) Importance of collaboration in water stewardship

(20:04) Regulatory impacts and global perspectives

(43:19) Future of water stewardship

---------

Sponsor copy

Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.

---------

Links

Follow Phil on LinkedIn

Follow Maria on LinkedIn

Follow Beatrice on LinkedIn

Follow Raja on LinkedIn

Follow Joseph on LinkedIn

Explore Inogen Alliance's resources

Today on the podcast, you’ll hear from EHS experts in Asia, Europe, North America and New Zealand discuss financial markets and mergers and acquisitions. We hear from Matt Bell, M&A Practice Lead at Antea Group USA, Eeda Wallbank, Sector Leader at ESC Singapore and Graham Duffield, Practice Director - Transactions Support at Antea Group UK. The group discusses the importance and impact of EHS and ESG considerations in business deals. You’ll also hear comments from Lean Phuah, Discipline Director Environmental at Tonkin + Taylor New Zealand, who is Inogen Alliance’s Mergers and Acquisitions Working Group Lead.

---------

Guest Quotes

"How is environmental and social risk identified and managed? How is pollution control managed? Labor rights for staff working on the sites? And then, looking at the larger area, biodiversity, cultural heritage, indigenous peoples? So, for me, it's a two step screening process, local regulatory environment, and then the global standards that we're comparing to for this particular investment or acquisition, and that can change depending on who the stakeholders are.” - Eeda

“It absolutely requires the full spectrum of due diligence items that aren't driven by the regulators here in the US, they're driven by customer demands, right? So that's one of them. What we're seeing here in the US is they're only doing what they need to meet anticipated regulations coming down the road, like the SEC rulings and that sort of thing.” - Matt

“The emergence of ESG, through regulation, et cetera, has become a much bigger part of our M&A approach. I think the complexity is at the minute or the challenge really, is that the legislation and the interpretation of that is very complex and also that the legislation is changing. So the challenge is for not only us as advisors to keep on top of those changes, but for our clients to do the same as well.” - Graham

“Every M&A transaction in the corporate finance and investment world comes with some potential risks. It not only encompasses business-related or financial risks, but areas like environmental and health and safety. As M&A environmental practitioners, we have seen the focus shifted considerably towards a multidisciplinary approach involving topics such as social human rights, and governance. More and more companies are recognizing the value of doing the right thing and being responsible, good corporate citizens, not only complying with regulations.” - Lean

---------

Time Stamps

(00:00) EHS Implications in solar projects

(04:09) Drivers of current trends in financial deals

(10:07) Key challenges in environmental due diligence

(31:56) Potential impacts of upcoming elections

(40:56) The future of EHS

(44:08) Key takeaways from Lean

---------

Sponsor copy

Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.

---------

Links

Follow Phil on LinkedIn

Follow Matt on LinkedIn

Follow Eeda on LinkedIn

Follow Graham on LinkedIn

Follow Lean on LinkedIn

Explore Inogen Alliance's resources

In this episode, we dive into the importance and meaning of environmental and social justice across different regions. We hear from Social and Environmental Justice experts Erica Olesson, Sustainability Leader, Tonkin + Taylor in New Zealand, Scott Recker, Environmental Remediation Practice Leader at Antea Group USA, and Valentina Vieri, a Sustainability Specialist for HPC Italy. The group discusses strategies for achieving sustainable development, emphasizing the need for community engagement, regulatory compliance, and addressing vulnerable groups.

---------

Guest Quotes

“That term, environmental and social justice, is not one that we use very commonly in Australia and New Zealand where I've worked. We talk more about social license to operate, so it's a similar concept, perhaps a bit reversed. It's more about what the company needs to do for, what the organization needs to do for the community to be happy that they're there and to be making sure that they're responding to those community needs.” - Erica Olesson

“So the term environmental justice has been in use in the U.S. for probably at least 40 years. And it's really been indoctrinated into legislation and regulation in the last 3 or 4 years. So, it has a very specific definition in the U.S. and what that really means is equal treatment of community, regardless of your race, color, national origin, your income, where you live, all of those things need to be treated equally. If we go to different parts of the world, and I work with my Inogen associates all over the planet, it means different things in different places.” - Scott Recker

“Sustainability is, I think, a global vision of different topics, of different perspectives. And what we try to do is to integrate these perspectives together, these different points of view, and try to find a common solution that can bring values, not just for a company, a person, but for the environment, the people and the planet. So for everybody, this is what we try to do.” - Valentina Vieri

---------

Time Stamps

00:00 Te Ara Oteata, or the Mount Messenger Bypass, case study

(02:03) Roundtable conversation

(02:22) Valentina's perspective on environmental and social justice

(06:29) Scott's insights on environmental justice in the U.S.

(10:55) Erica's view on social license to operate

(14:17) Challenges and trends in environmental and social justice

(31:47) Measuring impact and benefits

---------

Sponsor copy

Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.

---------

Links

Follow Phil on LinkedIn

Follow Scott on LinkedIn

Follow Erica on LinkedIn

Follow Valentina on LinkedIn

Explore Inogen Alliance's resources

CSRD, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, is a new EU law requiring companies to disclose their environmental and social impacts, aiming to help stakeholders better assess sustainability performance and related risks.

In this episode, we hear from ESG experts Anna Csonka, Senior Sustainability Regulations Expert at denxpert; Emmanuel Zinsu, Head of ESG/Sustainability at HPC Germany; Lida Tan, President of Anew Global Consulting; and Richard Taylor, Senior Project Manager at Antea Group USA, on CSRD’s global impact on sustainability practices in businesses.

They explore the complexities and impacts of CSRD, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges of integrating these standards into business practices. They discuss how adopting CSRD can drive positive change and enhance sustainability within operations.

---------

Guest Quotes

“It's honestly one of the most beautiful things about the CSRD. It's this European focused legislation. The idea of legislation being beautiful is, um, oxymoronic, but it's really this ask to increase transparency regardless of your nationality.” - Richard Taylor

“We are excited that data is going to be audited. So there has to be some validity to it…You really have to put in effort to make sure the data you collect is usable, is credible.” - Lida Tan

“Right now, we are shifting to an era where we are given the opportunity to actually collect data on our non-financial matrices, which in history has never been the case. So now we're actually talking about understanding the total value creation of a company, not only based on finance or capital, you understand? So being able to capture this data, understanding your supply chain, having these matrices within your control helps you, as a firm, to be able to measure, manage them and continuously improve upon them, because we all know you cannot develop what you don't measure.” - Emmanuel Zinsu

“Don't be afraid of being transparent and vulnerable. This technique of telling all the positive sustainability stories just didn't really work out before, people stopped believing in it. By opening up and showing your negative side and negative impact as well, but still show that, okay, yes, I admit to it. I do have this negative footprint, but here are my actions and my plans to actually make up for it, and do it and drive positive change. I think that's just so refreshing for customers, consumers alike.” - Anna Csonka

---------

Time Stamps

00:00 Introduction to CSRD

03:36 CSRD vs. previous sustainability reporting

07:37 Costs and benefits of CSRD reporting for corporations

13:13 Global impact and implementation challenges

18:12 Importance of data management

22:11 Balancing CSRD auditing and compliance

25:20 Embracing the opportunities and overcoming resistance

28:07 Leveraging EHS for sustainability reporting

29:48 Integrating local practices into a global supply chain

38:54 Driving change and seizing opportunities

44:10 Phil’s key takeaways

---------

Sponsor copy

Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.

---------

Links

Follow Phil on LinkedIn

Follow Anna on LinkedIn

Follow Emmanuel on LinkedIn

Follow Lida on LinkedIn

Follow Richard on LinkedIn

Explore Inogen Alliance's resources