From CSR to ESG: How your business should be reporting sustainability

ESG is measured, quantifiable and criteria led, and is used by 93% of the world’s largest companies. Using ESG allows businesses to better understand the lifecycle impact of their products on services; for example, the amount of waste which has been recycled.

In the highly scrutinised aviation space, Gatwick Airport uses ESG measures. In 2019, the corporation’s sustainability report highlighted its successes across ESG: 71% of waste recycled, 62% of flights by the quietest aircraft to reduce noise pollution. These changes are foundational, the building blocks for a more sustainable future for Gatwick, which retained its Level 3+ “neutral” Airport Carbon Accreditation, achieving net-zero emissions the previous year.

ESG and profit

Recently, markets have transformed to reflect this conscious shift, as ESG strategies are associated with good financial performance.

While ESG isn’t about making money - focussed as it is on ethical practice and sustainability - it can entice support, either from investors or consumers. More consumers are choosing socially responsible organisations which reflect both the social milieu and their own personal values and are willing to pay more for sustainable products or services. This investment pays two-fold: financially now, and in a better future for the planet.

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic dominated the news agenda, many people feared that ESG would take a backseat as businesses fought for survival. But sustainability has been the real winner. We’ve seen the positive impact that reduced travel and industrial activity has had on our environment, but the pandemic also taught us to check in on the people around us, to care for our communities and to put a greater focus on employee wellbeing.

ESG is about showing that ethical principles lie at the heart of your business, and that you’ll use your power and platform for change.

Our parent company, Drax was the first organisation in the world to commit to carbon negative by 2030, and put our local communities first in response to the pandemic by donating money to schools and cancelling energy bills for more than 170 small care homes.

All businesses have a responsibility to address the criteria laid out by ESG. Sustainable change is best made through investment.