In this episode of Sustainability Matters podcast, host Colin Tetreault, Managing Director, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, Ernst & Young LLP, explores the shifting environmental landscape of the sports industry. As North America enters an unprecedented era of mega events, a critical question emerges: Is the massive environmental footprint of sports a standard business liability, or can it become a powerful driver for operational resilience?

Colin is joined by Heather Watkins, co-founder of Bold Reuse, to break down the operational realities of tackling single-use waste at scale. The conversation confronts major logistical and economic challenges, mapping out the impact of rising supply-chain costs for single-use products and upcoming Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation in the US.

The episode offers an inspiring look at how sports venues act as a "cultural beacon" for innovation. Heather explains how implementing reusable packaging systems not only cuts costs but also drives local jobs, community engagement and new corporate sponsorship revenue.

In this episode of Sustainability Matters podcast, host Christian Orth explores how Siemens is using sustainability reporting as a powerful management tool to help steer business performance. As new regulatory frameworks such as CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) roll out, he explores whether ESG disclosure is simply an administrative burden or a tool to drive real value.

Christian is joined by Thomas Knobloch from Siemens AG and Caroline Pfaff, Partner at EY Germany to break down the practical reality of ESG reporting. Together, they look at the challenge of complex global data, tracking how organizations can move past chasing "perfect" real-time metrics and instead prioritize immediate progress over perfection.

They discuss the real-world operational challenges, how Siemens successfully built a 360-degree target framework directly into its board-level decisions and how focusing on material KPIs, like carbon intensity and product carbon footprints, can simultaneously mitigate long-term risk while unlocking competitive advantages.

Through it all, Thomas and Caroline highlight that building a strong company culture is what can drive true organizational transformation as well as the opportunities to unlock real business value.

@2026 Ernst & Young LLP

In this episode of Sustainability Matters, host David Rae, EY Global Lead for Sustainability Technology and Innovation, explores the impact of AI on climate change. As AI companies build massive data centers worldwide, a critical question emerges: Will the skyrocketing resource footprint of AI push global grids past their limits, or will AI become a vital tool to help accelerate the energy transition?

David is joined by James Grabert from the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and Michael Lepech from Stanford University to break down the duality of this digital megatrend. Together, they look at the physical reality behind "the cloud," tracking how AI is driving a massive surge in electricity demand while also leaving an extensive water footprint through data center cooling and the lifecycle of chip manufacturing.

However, they also identify areas of opportunity. The episode offers a hopeful look at "decision intelligence." The guests explain how AI is already delivering measurable climate benefits — from transforming early warning weather models in the Global South to balancing power grids and optimizing renewable energy.