Continuing the conversation around ESG: strategy first

Written by Caitlin Roxburgh

In the same way that personal values are a deep undercurrent which inform and uphold your views, a company’s authentic values should show themselves in every aspect of your operations. Relegating ESG solely to a specific department like Communications or HR increases the risk of it feeling perfunctory and insincere.  

Recognising the different strands of your ESG approach and weaving them into different arms of your firm is a good way to futureproof your strategy and is far more effective than applying a generic ESG policy. Once you have defined those core strands, or values, your firm’s ESG will grow organically throughout every department. 

Much like the language surrounding ESG, your ESG requirements will change as the world changes. Keeping your communications and policies under constant review will allow you to stay at pace with these changes as well as ensuring that employees are well-informed.  

Once you have that framework in place, your firm will all have a joined up and shared vocabulary around values, ensuring that all internal and external processes run smoothly. 

“Even though people might have been doing it [ESG] for a long time, they are moving away from being reactive to being strategic about it.”  

– Karen Higgins, Head of ESG at Clarke Willmott

Download our latest industry report here.