If there is any hope of the average consumer taking the ESG movement seriously it needs to address the biggest issues we are facing.
There has to be a sustained call for companies to disclose their lobbying activity. An honest, transparent accounting of what they spend on lobbying activity and what their goals are.
Mosh of us want to improve the environment and ensure that women and the disadvantaged have equal access to upward mobility and the American Dream, values the ESG movement professes to care about.
But the undue influence money has on the government is one of the underlying causes of the deterioration of our social fabric. Until we restore trust in the political system, we’re going to have a hard time doing anything else.
We all want the world to be better. Companies say they care about things like the environment, their customers, and their employees. But actions speak louder than words.
We Don’t Believe Anyone
It’s all but impossible for the average American to believe anything political and corporate leaders say. In our world of outrage, fake news, polarization, propaganda, outright lies and on and on, we’d be fools to take anything at face value.
Politicians, CEOs, media figures on both sides, anyone reasonable doesn’t trust any of them.
If corporate leaders want us to take “ESG” seriously, then business leaders need to start being more transparent about how much money they’re spending in Washington.
Corporations Need To Be Clear About How They Impact The Government
If the ESG community wants us to take them seriously they need to stop ignoring what is arguably the biggest issue facing America, the dysfunction of the government. That dysfunction is a result of the way the political and election process, including the media, exists right now.
Massive sums of money are poured into a broken election system, and driving polarization is the business model of the biggest media outlets. The compromised media is not going to threaten their corporate owners with issues like lobbying transparency.
We need to demand it right from corporate America.
It’s time for all corporations that want us to believe they care about the country and our collective well-being, to be honest about how they contribute to the dysfunction. Who do they donate to? What goals are they pursuing? Why?
We can all work together and get past the lies, hypocrisy, and greed.
Until we have political and business leaders who focus on cooperation and progress rather than scoring political points and blaming the other side for all the problems, nothing is going to get better.
Business is a big enabler, if not outright promoter, of this division.
ESG Investing Has To Do Better
ESG, or environmental, social, and governance, is a term bandied about by corporations to make themselves look good. But it’s meaningless if they’re still pouring money into politics to influence legislation. Disclosure of lobbying spend is the first step towards making ESG mean anything.
“Impact Investing” is supposedly all about transparency and accountability, and until we can see the full extent of corporate lobbying, we won’t be able to trust that companies are serious about taking ESG seriously. Until these progressive companies are honest about their full impact, criticism of the hypocrisy of “woke capitalism” is valid.
So far, too many, it seems like ESG or Impact capitalism has been nothing but hypocrisy, with businesses preaching about sustainability while spending millions on lobbying. It’s time for a change, and the first step is disclosing how much money is being spent on influencing our lawmakers.
If corporate leaders want us to take ESG seriously, then corporations need to start acting seriously. That means disclosing how much they spend on lobbying and for what purpose. It’s time for “woke capitalism” to exit the land of make-believe.
The hypocrisy of businesses that tout ESG values while spending millions of dollars on lobbying is clear. If we are going to take these issues seriously, businesses need to start being transparent about their lobbying activities.
There Is A Place For Government Lobbying
Today’s complex world requires lobbying. The issues we face as a people are too complex for our elected officials to grasp on their own. Lobbyists help inform our representatives of the facts, data, and context they need to make informed decisions. Keep in mind that we mostly have career politicians whose only skill is getting elected. Most of them don’t know anything else. So we want there to be smart people who understand reality helping them make complicated decisions. But it should be transparent, honest, and focused on the public good.
Corporations are not the enemy, they should be an important partner in finding solutions for a better future. Honest and transparent lobbying is crucial if we want to build trust in our politicians and ensure that issues are addressed in a way that works for all of us.
If corporate lobbying has a role to play in building a better world, we must demand full accountability for just what in tarnation is going on.
Lobbying Disclosure: The Litmus Test for True ESG Commitment
Lobbying is a necessary evil in our political system. But that doesn’t mean we have to like or approve of it. We can do something about it: by asking our favorite brands and companies to be transparent about their lobbying expenditures. We might not be able to get them all to change their ways overnight, but greater transparency is a step in the right direction.
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Less Bad is dedicated to finding ways to reduce the influence of money on Washington, along with so many other issues that are making everyday life so lousy for so many.
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