MCESD Council Explores ESG Principles for Advancing towards a Carbon-Neutral Economy

During the last MCESD meeting, the social partners considered ESG as a tool for economic and social transformation. During the meeting, Minister Miriam Dalli, Minister for Environment, Energy, and Enterprise, underlined that tangible results and opportunities are being achieved by businesses that take this matter seriously and realise an unavoidable transition towards a socially just and carbon-neutral economy that operates within a good governance framework. In order to achieve national momentum in this transition, therefore, open dialogue with the social partners at MCESD was vital.

The Malta ESG Alliance (MESGA) detailed the scope and objectives of the alliance, aiming to bring together driven and like-minded organisations to collaborate, learn from each other, and advocate for change in selected collective priority areas in ESG. Emphasis was placed on the importance of regularly measuring and reporting progress on initiatives in a credible, tangible, and quantifiable manner. Accountability and transparency are key, and in this way, customer satisfaction can be gauged, talent secured, shareholder value improved, and new business opportunities developed in the interest of human development in a regenerative and distributive manner.

The Malta ESG Alliance presentation may be accessed from here.

Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue Dr. Andy Ellul emphasised the importance of embracing ESG principles, not only to ensure future sustainability but also to boost economic prosperity. He explained that the Parliamentary Secretary’s work in the cultivation of ESG principles in Malta is already underway, including initiatives like the establishment of the Low Wage Commission and the rules for platform workers, which are aimed at ensuring that economic growth is for the benefit of all while protecting vulnerable groups within society. Over the coming years, the government will continue to be proactive so that Maltese businesses are well-equipped to meet the requirements set out by the various EU Directives related to ESG that will come into force.