GTR: Far from being a ‘nice to have’ in the good times, we know now that sustainability is increasingly integral to how businesses operate. According to a recent HSBC Navigator report, businesses that prioritised sustainability felt better prepared for the current crisis – an important factor going forward, given that environmental risks are likely to intensify. But to what extent do we now have buy-in from all parties in the trade ecosystem specifically that sustainability is good business?
Sengupta: As we all know, Covid-19 has delivered a seismic shift in terms of underlining the importance of resilience in supply chains. It’s shone a spotlight on the role and responsibility of corporates to tackle environmental action, inequalities, social justice and the like. Interestingly, the observation has been that pre-pandemic, this has often been a buyer-led discussion. But what we’ve seen over the last months is that now it’s also a requirement from the smaller players, the suppliers, who are trying to work out how they transition.