The Economy of Communion (EOC) Summer Conference, “Co-Creating Business Strategies Based on ESG Values” was held in Mariënkroon (the Focolare Centre in Holland) from 30th August – 1st September. The Conference was organized with support from the Porticus Foundation, which provided funding for an event centred on Values-Based Management. It was led by a diverse team of professional consultants[1], headed up by Markus Ressl, CEO, Strategy Consulting, Transformation, Sustainable Business Development at Ressolutions GmbH. There were 45 participants including ten young professionals, mainly from Northern and Eastern Europe. Ireland was represented by Paul Connolly and Fran Maher, entrepreneurs and pioneers of the Economy of Communion in Ireland. Over the three days, all the key aspects of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) were covered, viewed through the lens of EOC values.
ESG provides a framework to verify, measure, monitor and support a company’s or organization’s commitment to sustainability across three key areas: Environmental, Social, and Governance. It establishes clear criteria and standards for evaluating and guiding an organization’s performance in these domains. These standards are then translated into operational procedures and best practices, helping companies align their activities with goals related to environmental impact, social responsibility, and ethical governance.
The conference program offered a comprehensive exploration of the key ESG aspects, explored in light of EOC values. Real business cases were presented, highlighting an innovative business model and evaluating ways to enhance the ESG performance of each participating EOC company. Expert consultants such as Koen Vanreusel (Belgium), Matt Driver (UK) and John Mundell contributed in person or via zoom. Several academic experts also contributed, including Annette Pelkmans-Balaoing and Aiza Asi from Sophia University Institute and Deborah Gervasi from the University of Enna.
As part of the conference, a platform was launched to create an innovative network promoting value-based leadership. Through this platform, experts will develop courses to bring EOC values to the business and management world. The first courses are planned for the spring and summer of 2025 at Mariënkroon. Paul Connolly explained, “This was a test run of a new Business Management course designed to integrate high-quality Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into businesses. ESG has replaced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which had devolved into a box-ticking exercise and comes with stronger legislative backing. The course, ESG+, begins by encouraging businesses to reflect on their values, apply them in standard analysis tools like SWOT and consider the broader impact on their community with an eye toward improvement.”
Paul and Fran also shared insights from their work in a partnership with people from Burkina Faso, highlighting the challenges and rewards of fostering long-distance business and community relationships. Paul added, “Our experience and commitment resonated well with the participants” Fran said, “One thing that stood out to me was that while the idea of Christian values was never explicitly mentioned, their presence was felt throughout the event. It’s a reminder of how important language is when we communicate our message. I had a great conversation with a man who runs a business with his wife. She seemed to be connected with the Focolare, though he wasn’t, yet he was the one who questioned why we aren’t more vocal about our mission. He felt we had something very valuable to offer”.
[1] Markus Ressl from Austria, Tibor Heij from Hungary, Frank Jungmann from Germany, Gianni Garofalo, Michel Bronzwaer, Annette Pelkmans, AdVerest and Raymond Bronzwaer from the Netherlands.
