Episode 300: Larry Fink's CEO missive; no small potatoes

This week’s run time is 38:02. 

WEEK IN REVIEW (4:40)

• Merchant’s Fleet goes fast and furious on electrification
• Mastercard, IKEA and consumer “carbon budgets”
• 5 trends to watch in climate-aligned finance in 2022

FEATURES

Larry Fink defends BlackRock’s focus on purpose (18:30)

Have you read the BlackRock chairman’s latest letter to CEOs? This year, he promises more investment in ESG stewardship and makes the case for avoiding divestment of fossil fuels stocks. Grant Harrison, green finance and ESG analyst for GreenBiz, drops by with commentary. 

Digging into potatoes and sustainability (26:50)

GreenBiz senior analyst John Davies, who runs the GreenBiz Executive Network, recently attended a major trade show for the potato industry to dig into how this major food sector — projected to produce almost $5 billion in U.S. sales this year — is embracing practices such as regenerative agriculture. The segment includes perspective from:

• Brandy Wilson, global sustainability director for J.R. Simplot
• John Mesko, executive director for the Potato Sustainability Alliance
• Chad Berry, owner of Under the Hill Farms
• Christian Barcan, sustainability manager for Rabo AgriFinance
• Patrick Williams, senior digital sales advisor for Simplot Grower Solutions

*Music in this episode by Lee Rosevere: “It Was Like That When I Got Here,” “Don’t Trust the Cloud,” “Here’s Where Things Get Interesting” and “Let That Sink In.”

STAY CONNECTED

To make sure you don’t miss the newest episode of GreenBiz 350, subscribe on iTunes or Spotify. Have a question or suggestion for a future segment? E-mail us at 350@greenbiz.com.