COP 27 fallout, standards, and the prospects for net zero: in conversation with BSI’s new ESG Head, Daan van der Wekken

We caught up with Daan van der Wekken to discuss his professional background in sustainability, how he sees his role at BSI, plus his views on COP27, the prospects of hitting 2050’s net zero targets and his love of quizzes.

Tell us a bit about your background

I worked in consumer goods for about 20 years, starting in consulting and finance for big consumer goods companies like Heinz and Unilever. It was at the European HQ of Unilever that I became really interested in sustainability.

Paul Polman had just become CEO at the time, meaning that everyone within Unilever had an additional KPI where we had to work on sustainability. I found it incredibly interesting, and ended up working on some great projects, including some focused on eradicating malnutrition in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh.

Since 2011, I have been working in sustainability full-time at places like The Consumer Goods Forum in Paris, IDH - The Sustainable Trade Initiative, and as Head of Sustainability for the Dutch Food & Drink Association.

So why did you decide to join BSI?

I’ve seen first-hand how ‘front runner’ companies have really helped to pioneer corporate sustainability and are doing great work. What I’ve learned, however, is that we only get real transformation in sustainability if the critical mass of companies starts to move.

This requires not just multinationals, but also SMEs to really start moving towards net zero. I think standards are a way to achieve this mass movement. If I want to be influential in helping companies to move, standardization is a great tool.

What do you see as your biggest goal coming into BSI?

My role as Head of ESG at BSI is multifaceted. Externally, the primary goal is to promote the role of standards and solutions in helping organizations achieve sustainability goals, and to get stakeholders to buy in.

Internally, I want to become the go-to person for sustainability. I want to coordinate the different sustainability initiatives within BSI, so every part of the business knows what’s going on, and we’re all pulling in the right direction.

I’ll also be leading on a number of sustainability initiatives. To begin with, this will focus on net zero, which needs to be central to every decision we make as a business from here on.

As we speak, COP27 has just finished. What are your thoughts on how things went?

Well, the big BSI news from COP27 was the launch of the Net Zero Guidelines. These can be used as a core reference text on net zero, helping to bring global actors into alignment, ratchet up ambition and address greenwashing. The guidelines were developed in under a year by a group of 1,200 organisations and experts from over 100 countries and can be found here. 
 
Despite this major achievement, I have mixed feelings on the outcomes of COP27.

On a positive note, there is finally agreement on the establishment of a fund whereby developing countries can seek financial assistance for climate-related loss and damage. Another milestone was the UN Expert Group report slamming greenwashing.

Is 1.5 still possible by 2050?
 
The 1.5 degrees goal of the Paris 2015 agreement is barely alive. Commitments on cutting greenhouse gas emissions are too weak to stay within the 1.5C limit, and sadly the process to strengthen the commitment at COP27 failed.

As Alok Sharma, President of the COP stated: “I said in Glasgow that the pulse of 1.5 degrees was weak. Unfortunately, it remains on life support”. Furthermore, a proposal led by India to phase down all fossil fuels did not make it to the final text. A provision to boost “low-emissions energy” was also interpreted by many actors to focus on gas, which has lower emissions than coal, but is still a major fossil fuel.

However, despite my disappointment, COP is the only gathering where all nations come together to discuss climate change, and where all have an equal vote. I am convinced that BSI should remain a part of it. We have a role to play in providing clear and practical guidance for organizations of all sizes and sectors to mitigate, and adapt to, climate change. And I am thrilled to be part of that.

Looking at the corporate world, are challenges like rising prices and a cost-of-living crisis slowing progress on green issues?

It’s still progressing, but progressing a bit slower. If you look at multinational companies, there is still a commitment to net zero. However, if you’re a small company whose energy bills are going up as revenues fall, I understand how climate change then becomes slightly less of a focus. But we need to keep this on the agenda. BSI can play a role in helping to develop standards and simple steps for businesses to get on and stay on the right track.

Do you think as a society we can hit net zero by 2050?

In my mind, 2050 isn’t soon enough. On the one hand, I am disappointed that we have not come far enough. On the other, we have achieved a huge amount over the past 25 years. In the world of sustainability, it is always easy to criticise, however without the progress made over the last 25 years, climate change would undoubtedly be worse than it is now.

What is encouraging is that there are so many people talking about it now, so many people talking about ‘purpose’ and how companies should be led with purpose as the foundation for business – as opposed to value maximalization. Whether it will be enough, I don’t know. Whether we’re in a better place than we were 25 years ago? Definitely.

On a more light-hearted note, what do you get up to outside of the office?

Well, I swim a lot and I like to spend time with my daughter in the Netherlands. Other than that, I am a big fan of quizzes with friends from around the world, meaning that my head is always full of lots of useless information!

Thank you, Daan. We can’t wait to see what your passion for sustainability will bring to our members and the wider BSI world in the years ahead.