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Greenwashing: All You Need to Know in 2024
Greenwashing describes the situation where a company makes misleading environmental claims. But what is the purpose of greenwashing?
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In today's business landscape, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) metrics have emerged as a pivotal tool for assessing a company's impact and sustainability. These metrics evaluate a company's dedication to environmental practices, social responsibility, and ethical governance - not only addressing global issues but also attracting investors seeking responsible and transparent investments.
👉 In this article we’ll explore the definition of ESG metrics, their benefits, and how companies can select the right metrics and frameworks to align with their goals.
ESG stands for environmental, social, and governance. It’s a set of factors that help to measure a company’s impact on the environment and society, while also measuring how transparent and accountable the business is.
ESG measures how a business integrates environmental, social, and governance practices into its operations and business model. It allows stakeholders to assess the impact of these practices and to assess the company’s overall sustainability.
ESG is an increasingly important aspect of today’s business environment. Not only do ESG policies help to address global issues such as climate change, resource scarcity, and social inequality, but companies with strong ESG initiatives are also able to reduce operational risks, optimize business costs, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. This makes them a much safer, and more attractive investment option.
The E in ESG stands for environmental. To put it simply, this aspect focuses on how the business impacts the environment through its operations, supply chain, and products and services. Examples of environmental business practices include things like reducing energy or switching to renewable sources, developing sustainable products, reducing carbon emissions across the company, or implementing a waste reduction program.
The S in ESG stands for social. This dimension emphasizes a company's internal culture and its ripple effect on the broader community. It encourages businesses to deliberate on their proactive contributions to the greater society, ensuring not only the equitable and just treatment of their employees but also the well-being of those in their supply chains and nearby communities affected by their operations.
The G in ESG stands for governance. Governance encompasses a business’ decision-making, logistics, and reporting. It aims to promote ethical company behavior and transparency. Examples of policies that might fall under the banner of governance include those that minimize the risk of bribery or unethical behavior, policies that promote transparency and ensure that senior management is accountable for company performance and risks, and those that foster diversity in the leadership team.
👉 To read more about ESG and its benefits, head over to our article on the topic.
ESG metrics are performance metrics used to measure the effectiveness of a company’s ESG policies. They provide invaluable information to a company about their ESG risks and opportunities, helping them to operate in a more ethical manner. ESG metrics also foster transparency, allowing the company’s stakeholders and investors to evaluate a company’s risks and opportunities associated with ESG topics.
ESG metrics are also useful as they facilitate industry benchmarking, which enables investors and other stakeholders to compare the ESG performance of a company against others in the same industry. Investors in particular increasingly care about how the companies they invest in impact the world around them, and so companies with strong ESG performance tend to be seen as more attractive - and less risky - investments.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the benefits of using ESG metrics…
There is no universally recognized, mandatory ESG framework that companies must use. Instead, there are a variety of different frameworks that a company can select from. These frameworks provide guidance for companies in the identification, measurement, and documentation of their ESG commitments. ESG metrics make the process more scientific by outlining how different ESG topics should be measured and tracked. They also help to benchmark performance.
The most commonly referred to ESG reporting framework is the GRI - many other ESG frameworks are based on the indicators and metrics contained within this framework. However, there is a multitude of well-known and respected frameworks that companies may also select from - for example, the ISSB, SASB, SBTi, TCFD, and the ISO Standards to name just a few.
The wide variety of ESG frameworks and standards that are available offers flexibility for companies who are able to select the framework that they believe works best for their business. However, it also makes the ESG landscape more complex and can make it harder for stakeholders and investors to compare the ESG credentials of different companies as different metrics may be used depending on what framework they selected.
👉 To learn more about ESG reporting why not check out our article.
While ESG metrics will vary depending on what framework a company selects, we’ve outlined a few examples under each of the three pillars to give you a better idea of what ESG metrics are commonly used, and what their measurement might entail.
These are just a small selection of the different ESG metrics that a company may opt to measure and report on. As you can see, depending on the specifics of the metric used to measure the ESG topic a variety of different data will need to be collected. This might be a simple yes or no tick box exercise, while others may require the provision of more detailed data quantified in numbers.
Generally speaking, it’s helpful for companies to maximize their ESG reporting and to take a broader view. A useful question to consider when selecting ESG metrics is what ESG topics are material to the business? This means that companies should consider which ESG issues are relevant to their operations, and which ones have a measurable impact on their business. A company can carry out a materiality assessment to establish those that hold the most importance.
Another useful consideration that may help to drive ESG topics, is stakeholder expectations - perhaps certain stakeholders of the company demand or expect reporting on specific ESG topics. A company may even have a legal duty to report on certain metrics.
👉 To find out more about materiality assessments why not take a look at our article.
A company may find that after assessing which ESG performance metrics are the most relevant, they align with a certain ESG reporting framework. Some frameworks for example can offer sector-specific standards.
Other considerations when selecting an ESG framework include factors such as industry relevance, stakeholder expectations, geographic scope, sector-specific standards, integration with existing reporting, alignment with long-term goals, data capabilities, regulatory compliance, and resource constraints. Companies should pick a framework that best suits their unique needs, reflects their industry's challenges, and aligns with their strategic objectives. Additionally, keeping an eye on evolving regulations and engaging with industry peers and experts can help inform this crucial decision and ensure that ESG reporting is both meaningful and effective.
At Greenly we can help you to assess your company’s carbon footprint, and then give you the tools you need to cut down on emissions. Why not request a free demo with one of our experts - no obligation or commitment required.
If reading this article has inspired you to consider your company’s own carbon footprint, Greenly can help. Learn more about Greenly’s carbon management platform here.