Sustainable connections

In this episode, ERM partners Irem Yerdelen, Anna Jakobsen, and Jason Smith join host Mark Lee to reflect on key insights from London Climate Action Week 2026. Together, they explore what the week signaled about the state of the climate agenda, from the shift toward implementation and delivery, to the growing importance of collaboration, finance, and system‑level change. Their conversation covers:...

In this episode of the Sustainable Connections podcast, Sebastian Leape, CEO at Natcap, Nadine McCormick, Senior Manager at WBCSD (the World Business Council for Sustainable Development), and Daniele Strippoli, EMEA Nature Lead at ERM, join Mark Lee to explore the emerging challenges in the nature market, the opportunities for companies to accelerate solutions, and what embedding nature into decis...

In this episode, ERM Partners Andrew Probert, Amy McDonald, and Todd Hall join host Mark Lee to explore how the current Iran War and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are reshaping the global energy landscape. They examine what this means for energy security, interest rates, and capital project decisions, and how it could either slow or accelerate the low-carbon transition. The conversation high...

In this episode, Daniele Strippoli, ERM’s EMEA Nature and Water Lead, joins Mark Lee to discuss the role of nature in the recent Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games. Together, they discuss what major sporting events can reveal about valuing natural capital, understanding ecosystem dependencies, and shaping decisions that support both communities and the environments they depend on.  Their conversa...

In this episode, Annie Longsworth, Doug Park, and Ollie Forster join host Mark Lee to reflect on key insights from GreenBiz 2026 in Phoenix. Together, they explore what the conference signaled about the state of corporate sustainability, from treating sustainability as a commercial growth lever and the rise of AI agents and technology ecosystems, to the tightening definition of “high‑quality” carb...

In this episode of the Sustainable Connections podcast, host Mark Lee brings together an all‑ERM panel to unpack our 2026 Annual Trends Report. The conversation explores how companies are navigating a year defined by volatility, ruptures in the geopolitical and sustainability landscapes, and rising expectations for value creation. Our experts dive into shifts across decarbonization, energy, report...

In this episode, Mark Lee speaks to Prashanthi Sudhakar, Head of Product for Agentforce Net Zero at Salesforce and Meera Krishnan, Managing Consultant for Net Zero Cloud Solutions at ERM. Together, they explore how digital innovations, particularly Salesforce’s Agentforce Net Zero platform, is transforming sustainability management, enabling organizations to drive meaningful change and unlock busi...

In this episode of the Sustainable Connections podcast, host Mark Lee speaks to ERM colleagues Ricardo Zibas, Linden Edgell, and Alexandra Guaqueta as they share their reflections from COP30 in Belém, Brazil. This episode was recorded on Tuesday 18 November, towards the end of COP, and explores the summit’s unique focus on implementation, just transition, and the integration of climate, nature, an...

In this episode, Mark Lee is joined by Darren Stralow, CEO of Bellevue Gold, and Dr Mary Stewart, ERM’s Lead Partner for Corporate Sustainability and Climate Change in Australia. Together, they explore Bellevue Gold’s journey to becoming the world’s first net zero gold mine and discuss the evolving role of sustainability in the mining sector. From regulatory shifts and investor expectations to dec...

In our first video Sustainable Connections podcast, host Mark Lee speaks with ERM colleagues Linden Edgell, Sabine Hoefnagel, and Liam Walsh about their experience at and impressions of Climate Week New York 2025.  Listen and watch to hear their views including: The overall mood as compared to prior years and to London Climate Action Week a few months ago. A summary of key topics and themes, from...

In this episode, Mark Lee speaks to Silvio Lima, Head of Corporate Affairs, ESG and Community Engagement at Appian Capital Advisory and Conor Grieve, Principal Consultant at ERM, to discuss how mine development can be made more sustainable. They explore how approaches like technical arbitrage, ESG integration, and social integration are reshaping the mining investment landscape. Their conversation...

In this episode, Mark Lee is joined by ERM colleagues Mathias Lelievre, Linden Edgell and Andrew Probert to unpack their key takeaways from London Climate Action Week (LCAW) 2025. Together, they reflect on evolving business approaches to sustainability quantification and implementation, and explore how climate strategy is adapting during current global geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Their...

In this episode, Mark Lee is joined by Vicente Saiso Alva, Global Vice President of Sustainability at Cemex, and Greg Koch, Technical Consulting Director at ERM, to discuss Cemex’s recent achievement of zero freshwater use and how companies can better manage water risk in their operations. Their conversation covers: ·       Cemex’s zero freshwater use achievement ·       Responding to increasing w...

In this episode, Mark Lee speaks to Johann Weicht, Jennifer Klie and Aiste Brackley about the latest updates to the EU Omnibus regulation. The Omnibus proposals aim to streamline the CSRD, CSDDD, EU Taxonomy and CBAM are expected to bring significant changes to the regulated sustainability disclosure and due diligence landscape. The episode delves into what these changes mean for businesses and ho...

In this episode, Mark Lee is joined by Anne-Laure Brison, Senior Manager of Circular Products and Materials at World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD); Titta Rosvall-Puplett, Chief Sustainability Officer at Syensqo; and Cristina Pellegrino, ERM Global Industry Leader of Chemicals, to discuss “Towards Planet Positive Chemicals, A Chemical Transformation Roadmap” report created by...

Mark Lee talks with the authors of ERM’s Annual Trends Report - Aiste Brackley, Andrew Angle, Rebecca Green and Ricardo Zibas – about the key business sustainability trends to expect across the globe in 2025, from climate change to AI, and how companies can respond.  Their conversation covers:   Changes to the sustainability landscape in 2025  Progress towards the Paris Agreement climate goals  Ma...

The Asia Pacific (APAC) region holds immense potential for wind energy. From 2024 to 2030, APAC is expected to account for 61% of global new wind capacity. As the industry looks to ramp up the pace of new capacity installations, the APAC region has an important role in delivering the wind energy needed for the global net zero transition.   Mark Lee talks to Feng Zhao, Chief Research Officer at the...

Mark Lee talks with ERM leaders ‌Sabine Hoefnagel, ‌Linden Edgell and ‌James Stacey about their reflections from the COP29 climate talks in Baku and what the event means for businesses in terms of moving forward with climate strategy and implementation. Their conversation covers:   What was anticipated going into Baku  Progress in hard-to-abate sectors and carbon markets   The role of private fina...

Mark Lee talks to Vamsi Alla, Managing Director in J.P. Morgan's Corporate Advisory and Sustainable Solutions team, and Pradipta Parhi, an Executive Director in J.P. Morgan’s Climate Technology, Innovation and Strategic Investment team, about their new report with ERM exploring the critical challenges and opportunities surrounding water resilience in the US. Their conversation covers: ·     ...

Mark Lee talks to Ben Madden, Chief Technology Officer at Hydrogen investment fund HYCAP, and Patrick Huber, Head of Project Finance at green hydrogen developer MorGen Energy, about the challenges and opportunities in hydrogen ecosystem development, including hydrogen generation, transport infrastructure and accessing new markets for hydrogen. Their conversation covers: Financing hydrogen ecosyste...

Mark Lee talks to members of the NatureTech Alliance, including Salesforce, NatureMetrics and Planet, about their new report exploring how nature tech solutions can help companies to navigate a path towards nature positive. They also discuss the outcomes of the United Nations COP16 biodiversity conference. Their conversation covers: COP16 outcomes and implications for business How to combine globa...

Mark Lee talks to John Elkington, founder of Volans, about his latest book ‘Tickling Sharks: How We Sold Business on Sustainability’. They look back at how corporate sustainability has evolved over the past 50 years, anticipate how it will progress in the future and debate the most effective ways to engage business leaders on sustainability. Their conversation covers: -          How sustainability...

Mark Lee talks to ERM leaders and experts across climate markets, social performance and nature, about how Climate Week NYC 2024 shaped the global business sustainability agenda. They also discuss implications and expectations for the upcoming United Nations COP16 biodiversity and COP29 climate change conferences later this year.  Their conversation covers:  How to build trust in the voluntary car...

Mark Lee talks to Dominic Barton, Chair at Rio Tinto, and Louise Pearce, Global Industry Lead for Mining and Metals at ERM, about the role of mining in the low-carbon energy transition.   Their conversation covers: -      Rio Tinto’s environmental and social strategy -      Decarbonizing mining and metals -      How to increase metals and critical minerals supply -      Derisking mining to attract...

In our nineteenth episode, Mark Lee talks to Eli Aheto, Managing Director on the BeyondNetZero team at General Atlantic, and Manuela Fumarola, Consulting Director at ERM, about how private equity funds can take advantage of new opportunities to scale climate investment.  Their conversation covers: Scaling investment in climate tech that offers cost savings to customers Opportunities for climate in...