CSO Connect
Trusted by 500k+ CSOs globally by Leaf
● MAY 21, 2025
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Hello!
Welcome to this week's edition of CSO Connect, Leaf media's newsletter.
Here's what's in today's CSO Connect:
💸 How can money actually fight climate change?
🏷️ Webinar: How B Corps take the lead in Climate Compliance
✂️ Cutting Carbon & Staying Competitive
📝 All you need to know about the UN's SDGS
And of course: everything you need to know about compliance, a toolbox of resources, and our curated picks and events of the year !
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Is Green Finance Moving Fast Enough?
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How can money actually fight climate change?
In this episode of the Leaf Media Global Podcast, host Ben Stimpson-Wood sits down with Maya Hennerkes, Director of Green Financial Systems at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Maya shares how sustainable finance is transforming economies from Morocco to Mongolia — and why she's a proud "reformed banker".
If you've ever wondered how finance, policy, and sustainability truly intersect — and how development banks are engaged in climate action — this is your must-watch episode.
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How B Corps take the lead in Climate Compliance (TCFD & more)
🌿 Join Greenly and Sensiba in a virtual discussion on how purpose-driven companies are staying ahead of climate rules.
As California enacts landmark climate laws (SB 253 & SB 261) and IFRS S1/S2 (formerly TCFD) becomes the global baseline for ESG reporting, mission-driven businesses face rising pressure to move from compliance to credible leadership.
🎯 Deep Dive: From Climate Rules to Real Leadership
Discover how to stay ahead of California’s climate regulations, align with IFRS reporting standards, and use your ESG strategy to unlock real business value.
🔍 What You’ll Learn:
- SB 253 & SB 261: Who’s affected, what’s required, and what to do before 2026.
- B Corp 2.0: Why full-scope emissions tracking and transition plans are the new baseline.
- From Risk to ROI: How carbon data becomes a lever for cost reduction, market trust, and strategic resilience.
- Expert Insights: Practical frameworks, real examples, and key steps to future-proof your climate roadmap.
👥 Speakers:
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Jennifer Harrity – ESG & Sustainability Director, Sensiba
- Alexis Normand – CEO & Co-Founder, Greenly
- Noemie Billion – Head of Business Development North America, Greenly
Whether you're just getting started with ESG or refining an advanced strategy, this session will help you lead with purpose, and stay ahead of the curve.
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Cutting Carbon & Staying Competitive
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Manufacturing is one of the sectors with the highest intensity of greenhouse gases, accounting for approximately 12.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Ge et al., 2024).
These emissions are drawn from high-energy-consuming activities across the supply chain.
The manufacturing sector has significant opportunities to reduce its environmental impact.
Implementing smart manufacturing systems that leverage Internet of Things (IoT)
technologies can enhance operational efficiency and contribute
to emissions reductions.
For instance, digital technologies have the potential to reduce global emissions by up to 15% by 2030
(Malmodin & Bergmark, 2015).
However, it's important to consider the rebound effect, where increased efficiency leads to lower operational costs, potentially resulting in higher production levels that could offset some of the environmental benefits.
This phenomenon has been observed in various sectors, including data centers, where efficiency gains have sometimes led to increased resource consumption (World Economic Forum, 2024).
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The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) are a set of 17 global goals that have been defined to support the world's transition to sustainable development and sustainable future.
The Sustainable Development Goals are sometimes referred to as the Global Goals.
They’re designed to fundamentally transform our economy, our society, our way of life, and the way we consider our environment through the use of new scientific and technological capacity and improved resource efficiency.
Each sustainable development goal has its own target date for climate change achievement, which is usually sometime between 2020-2030 (although some goals don’t have a deadline).
What are the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?
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IFRS S2 Update: ISSB Proposes Flexibility in GHG Reporting for Financial Institutions
In May 2025, the IFRS Foundation’s International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) released proposed amendments to its IFRS S2 climate-related disclosure standards, aimed at easing reporting burdens—particularly for financial institutions.
Key changes include allowing banks, insurers, and asset managers to exclude certain Scope 3 Category 15 emissions while still disclosing the volume of excluded activities to ensure transparency.
The proposal also permits the use of alternative industry classification systems beyond GICS and allows deviations from IPCC global warming potential (GWP) values and Greenhouse Gas Protocol methods when local regulations require it.
Stakeholders can comment until June 27, 2025, with the ISSB planning to re-deliberate the draft in the second half of the year.
The exposure draft can be found here.
ECB Opposes Narrowing Scope of CSRD: Warns of Risks to Financial Stability and Climate Transparency
In its latest opinion published on May 8, 2025, the European Central Bank (ECB) strongly warned against the European Commission’s proposal to remove up to 80% of companies from mandatory sustainability reporting under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
ECB emphasized that such a significant cut in scope would severely limit stakeholders’ access to critical ESG data—particularly regarding climate and biodiversity—and could undermine financial stability and the EU’s climate transition objectives.
The ECB urged maintaining reporting obligations for all companies with more than 500 employees, warning that ESG risks are not necessarily tied to company size.
It also noted that excluding high-emission sectors, including fossil fuel companies, from reporting could fuel greenwashing and reduce market transparency.
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Events you can’t miss!
- Sustainability LIVE, Chicago, May 28-29, 2025
- Reset Connect, London, June 24-25, 2025
- Sustainability Summit, Hamburg, June 25-26, 2025
- Climate Week NYC, New-York, September 21-28, 2025
- Sustainable Brands, San Diego, Oct 13-16, 2025
- NetZeroWeek, Online, July 5-11, 2025
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We're counting on you!
Tell us what you thought about this edition. We always welcome your feedback, suggestions, critics, questions… See you soon !
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