Understanding ESG: Framework for Sustainable Businesses
Every business’s ultimate target is to be prosperous in the business world hence, it strives to embrace holistic business practices that enable it to achieve cognizable performance. One of these practices is ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) which is a framework that organizations use to evaluate their environmental, social, and governance practices to ensure that a company operates sustainably and responsibly.
ESG comprises three pillars; the environmental, the social, and the governance pillar. The Environmental pillar relates to the impact of an organization’s operations and products on the natural surroundings. They include issues such as climate change, pollution, waste management, the use of natural resources, and biodiversity. The social pillar relates to how a company manages its relationships with its stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and communities. Social issues include labour practices, human rights, diversity and inclusion, health and safety, and community engagement. The last pillar is governance which relates to a company’s management. Good governance practices include transparency, accountability, ethical behaviour, and risk management.
Companies that prioritize governance have strong board oversight, independent audits, and robust internal controls to ensure compliance with laws and regulations. These three pillars of ESG are interconnected and interdependent. They provide a framework for companies to evaluate their impact on society and the environment, and implement practices that promote long-term sustainability and success for the company and its stakeholders and clients.
Environmental, Social, and Governance practices help organizations achieve long-term sustainability and enhance their reputation. To achieve ESG efficiency the business can incorporate ESG practices in various ways in their day-to-day activities. For instance, establishing policies and procedures for managing environmental and social risks, promoting diversity and ensuring good governance practices. Secondly, ensuring transparency on its ESG performance and reporting. This can be achieved by regularly disclosing ESG metrics, reporting progress toward goals, and providing stakeholders with information on the company’s ESG strategy and performance.
In addition, the company must be committed to ESG principles and integrate them into its core business strategy. This involves setting measurable goals and targets for ESG performance and allocating resources to achieve them. To sum up, ESG promotes sustainable and responsible business practices that take into account the impact of a company’s operations on the environment, society, and corporate governance. (Almeyda & Darmansya) Further, ESG disclosure is necessary for companies to promote social responsibility.
