Introduction Although the road to get there may have been long and bumpy, the European Union (EU) finally adopted the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D or CSDDD) in a trilogue1 on 24 May 2024. A cornerstone of the European Green Deal2, this directive is expected to be transposed into French law by 26 July […]
Foreword International tensions, the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on budgets and Donald Trump’s return to the White House have disrupted Europe’s standard- and regulation-based strategy for transitioning to an economy with a social and environmental conscience. The European Union (EU) has spent several years working to put in place two directives: the Corporate Sustainability […]
Foreword The purpose of this article is to question the ability of entrepreneurial vision to drive social change, particularly through the innovation and agility it can demonstrate. By comparing the impacts of entrepreneurial vision with traditional governmental or philanthropic approaches, the author highlights the strengths of social innovation, nourished by the constraints of reality and […]
On May 24th, after a long and turbulent journey, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive was finally adopted. This text has to be transposed into French law no later than 26 July 2026. Its purpose is to foster sustainable, responsible corporate behaviour, and firmly establish human rights and environmental considerations in corporate governance throughout the […]
1. Background “This crisis (COVID-19), undoubtedly more than any other, requires cooperation, requires the invention of new international solutions.” These words of the French President Emmanuel Macron, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 22nd, 2020, illustrates the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for new solutions to solve […]
When a company or an organisation designs or uses artificial intelligence (AI), it has a duty to question how it can develop this technology in a responsible manner, without raising any ethical issues. It falls to both AI designers and the leaders who will use this technology for their company’s activities to establish conscientious practices that follow a series of fundamental guidelines. So, what are those guidelines? An opinion by Diane de Saint-Affrique.
by Diane de Saint-Affrique Would it be possible for NGOs and companies that are genuinely convinced, and have adopted a continuous improvement approach to achieve the goals of the 2017 French Dury of Vigilance Act, to get together to work for the common good? Wouldn't this pragmatic approach be more effective than waiting for new standards to be imposed that will not necessarily be appropriate for the issues addressed or the scope under consideration, and will thereby maintain an ambiguity that can only be dispelled by a court decision?
by Diane de Saint-Affrique | NGOs have made the following observation: companies often see their due diligence plan as a communication plan rather than a strategic development tool designed to map and prevent risks and to implement a strategy tailored to CSR issues. NGOs want companies to change their attitude and genuinely comply with the obligation of monitoring the entire value chain, which implies mobilising all the stakeholders, disseminating information transparently, introducing precise indicators and significantly changing the corporate culture.
by Diane de Saint-Affrique | At a time when the European Commission is addressing the issue of due diligence, and given the crucial impact of this reform on European companies and the continuation of various international commercial exchanges, the think tank SKEMA PUBLIKA considered it vital to carry out an in-depth study with the main stakeholders – non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and companies affected by the regulation – to get their feedback on the application of France’s 2017 Duty of Vigilance Act and its impact in economic and commercial terms, and find out their views on this new EU draft directive.
In this video, Jean-Philippe Courtois, Executive Vice President and President of National Transformation Partnerships at Microsoft and President of SKEMA Business School and Claude Revel, Director of the think tank SKEMA Publika discuss corporate sustainability in light of the new EU non-financial reporting directive. They also discuss how innovative digital tools, using AI and Cloud technologies can help companies measure their ESG impact, and best meet the demands of legislators.
