When the gods prowled the earth, Hephaestus, under the instructions of Zeus, created the first human woman – Pandora.
Not unlike her peers in other historical myths, beliefs or religions, she was to unleash evil on humanity, when, in the context of a feud between gods, she opened her jar, now remembered as a box, and '1,000 plagues' were released into the world.
The Greek gods and goddesses are long dead but their traces are still alive, for example through the idiom of Pandora's box or its colloquial equivalent of opening a can of worms.
And a can of worms seems to be opening as the corporate world moves from voluntary to mandatory sustainability reporting.
None the least is the question of where this is all going to land. Because regardless of which standards are used and which materiality approach is applied, it will be a colossal failure if it turns into a massive compliance exercise. However burdensome reporting might be, CSRD / ISSB / GRI call on preparers to rethink their business models and strategies – not to report for the sake of reporting – but will the standards succeed?
Then there are more practical questions around the collection of data up and down the supply chain, the governance frameworks built around that exercise, and the elephant in the room: sustainability assurance.
Further down the line, one could also wonder what this reporting will unleash for companies' ability to secure fundings and operate, and their reputations in light of a new transparency and accountability paradigm.
All of these topics populate Corporate Disclosures' 2024 conference agenda, and we hope that delegates will find some practical tools on how to move forward in their respective endeavours, as well as a sense of purpose for the direction of travel.
All is not doom and gloom though, as Pandora also teaches us.
Indeed, perhaps a less well-known aspect of the myth of the Pandora's Box is that as evil is unleashed, she closes her Jar and only 'hope' remains inside.
Which leaves us with the moral that the desire for knowledge and curiosity can be dangerous, but hope always remains!
The conference agenda and information on how to register is available here.
Companies:Corporate Disclosures