It is now more critical than ever that businesses take responsibility for, and shape the impact they have on the environment, their community, and stakeholders.
Putting sustainable and responsible practices at the heart of the business is fast becoming a pivotal requirement for regulators, investors, and other stakeholders. While profit will, inevitably, always be a key indicator of success, it can no longer be the only benchmark.
Businesses must be held to account for their actions, impact, and the value that they bring to their market. By having an integrated and long term environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, organisations are taking an important step in shaping who they want to be, what they want to stand for and – critically - how other’s see them.
This means that all stakeholders, from consumers to prospective investors, will look at how businesses treat their employees, how diversity and inclusion measures are managed, the sustainability and environmental impact of the business, and any social value and governance practices. This scrutiny is not going away and is only set to intensify.
Engaging now, will help your business in the long term. Across most, if not all sectors, we can see investment decisions being influenced by those with robust ESG strategies - it is no longer an option to avoid these issues.