Letter: Be a corporate citizen or get hit where it hurts

Anne Simpson, the former head of sustainability at the Calpers pension fund, who now runs responsible investing at Franklin Templeton, is right when she says: “We have to rethink what ESG means . . . We need a broader, human-centred approach”, as quoted in Gillian Tett’s FT Money column (Opinion, June 4).

That approach is corporate citizenship. Companies that wholeheartedly embrace corporate citizenship will gain in trust, reputation and brand equity.

Those who remain in denial or resort to greenwashing will lose trust, reputation and brand equity — and get hit where it hurts: in the share price.

Nicholas Dungan
Chief Executive, CogitoPraxis
The Hague, The Netherlands