On 7 November 2024, at the invitation of Art is Business, our Managing Director, Péter Gemza, participated in a roundtable discussion on the relationship between ESG and art. The aim of Art is Business' Connections is to address current and important issues concerning the cooperation between the arts and the corporate sector through good practices and with the help of stakeholders from the corporate, cultural and private sectors. The last discussion of the year 2024 was dedicated to the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) framework, with the unconcealed aim of showcasing good examples of integrating the arts into ESG.
The panel included corporate professionals who see the role of art projects and artists from a for-profit perspective. Among them were Zsuzsanna Varga (Head of CSR and ESG Communication Expert, MBH Bank), Krisztina Major (Transaction Director, IO Partners) and Ottó Feuertag (ESG Expert, Well Rating System Implementer), while the discussion was moderated by Zsuzsanna Elek (ESG Expert, Credit Management Group - ESG Solutions). On the non-profit side, Péter Gemza represented artists and art projects on the one hand, and social innovation organisations developing projects on the other.
Zsuzsanna Elek, moderator of the roundtable discussion, said in her introduction that ESG reporting has important opportunities, but also a heavy burden on companies. Under the new framework, large companies will have to prepare a sustainability report in addition to the existing financial report, and the obligation will gradually be extended to smaller companies. The panellists agreed that artistic initiatives are mostly linked to the so-called S pillar of ESG, i.e. social sustainability, but in some cases a link can also be made to the E (environmental) and G (corporate governance) pillars.
The panellists agreed that the integration of the arts in corporate life depends primarily on the openness of the for-profit sector, for which it is very important to find and build relationships with so-called corporate ambassadors (corporate professionals interested and committed to the arts). At the same time, it was pointed out that artists also need to be open and adaptable, including learning and developing self-management.
For his part, Péter Gemza highlighted the role of non-profit organisations such as SIXAGON, which are able to transform and develop various artistic and cultural activities into projects that can be integrated into the ESG framework. These so-called bridge actors (such as Art is Business) play a very important role, as they "speak the language" of both the arts and corporate actors, and find value-based connections between them.
An important part of the evening was the sharing of corporate good practices, including the MBH Bank Hungarian Art and Business or HAB initiative, in which the financial institution organises thematic, free exhibitions and programmes. According to Zsuzsanna Varga, art is also present in the lives of MBH staff, for example through the works of art displayed in the various rooms of the office or the Afterwork programmes planned in the HAB. Krisztina Major said that IO Partners was one of the first companies to integrate art into the real estate sector. "Our mission is to explain to large companies, whether they are tenants or owners of an office building, why they should engage with art," she said.
Ottó Feuertag added that mental health is at the heart of the issue, and that if the works are placed in the office and in the different rooms according to a well-conceived concept, it will have a positive impact on the emotional world of the employees. "We have a long way to go, it will take years, not months, to build a corporate culture of all this - if the company is truly committed to sustainability. And the most important role in this is played by the company's management, so we need to start with the letter 'G' - if we can make changes and achieve results here, then we'll have an easier job in many areas. This is where creativity is really needed," concluded Péter Gemza.
