Your guide to set and achieve ESG goals

ESG goals are becoming a critical part of all business strategies. With higher stakeholder expectations, increased regulations and the need to meet climate targets, it is clear why businesses are placing more importance on the setting, monitoring and measuring of their internal sustainability goals. This blog discusses what ESG goals are, how to set them and why they are important.

What are ESG goals?

ESG goals comprise three terms: Environmental, Social, and Governance. Companies set ESG goals to advance their sustainable and ethical initiatives. However, these goals are part of a broader sustainability business strategy comprising many sustainable and ethical practices within a company's operations. Here's what each category of ESG goals involves:

Environmental goals

Environmental goals focus on reducing the environmental footprint of a business. This might include:

· Cutting down emissions

· Managing water use more efficiently

· Using energy more wisely

· Minimizing waste

· Promoting biodiversity and keeping ecosystems safe

Social goals

These focus on a company's role in society and how it treats people within and outside its organization. This includes:

· Promoting fair labor practices

· Ensuring product safety

· Engaging in community outreach, like supporting local education or healthcare initiatives

Governance goals

These goals deal with how a company is run. It focuses on keeping management of the company and decision-making processes objective and transparent. It also ensures the interests of stakeholders are addressed fairly and consistently.  

How to set and establish ESG goals

If you're stuck with how to meet growing ESG expectations and where to begin, here are some steps you can take to help you set up effective ESG goals within your organization.

1.   Assess current status

Before you begin setting ESG targets, you must get a clear picture of where your organization currently stands. For this, you must perform two essential assessments.

Baseline assessment: The first step is to begin with a baseline assessment to figure out where your business stands with essential ESG criteria. Collect data on how much energy you're using, your carbon emissions, the waste you're generating, and how much water you're consuming. Understanding this will keep you informed about your environmental footprint.

Materiality assessment: In this assessment, you need to focus on understanding which ESG factors carry the most importance for your organization as well as your stakeholders. It is important to consider opportunities as well as risks when undertaking a materiality assessment so that you are able to rank them by importance.

For example, find out factors that sway your financial outcomes. It will help you understand the ESG factors to focus on.

2.   Setting SMART ESG goals

When you set SMART ESG goals, you're making sure your sustainability efforts align with your business goals and are achievable. Let's delve into how you can use the SMART criteria to structure your ESG objectives effectively:

Specific

Your goals should be clear-cut and detailed. Rather than saying "reduce waste," set a clear task such as "Set up a thorough recycling program at every manufacturing facility” and go into detail about how you will achieve this.

Measurable

Your organization should have clear benchmarks to track your goals. Instead of vaguely aiming to use less energy, be specific about it. For instance, you could set a concrete goal like reducing energy consumption by 15% across all operations within three years.

How? By upgrading to energy-efficient systems. You can use ESG KPIs to measure the progress of your goals.

Achievable

For this part of your SMART strategy, you need to gauge whether the goals you've set are realistic while considering your current situation. To get a better understanding, suppose your organization has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% through the use of electric vehicles, it is important to check that your budget and current operational setup can handle the switch without major disruptions.

Relevant

Your objectives must match up with your company's wider ambitions as well as critical ESG focuses. Say water conservation is an important goal in your sector. You might aim for something specific like, "Cut water use by 10% by fitting low-flow systems across all processing facilities." This way, your goals are directly tied to both your business needs and environmental priorities.

Time-bound

Be sure to keep the momentum going without getting distracted, and assign a specific deadline to every goal. Keep track of the progress your organization is making and adjust the goals and timelines as needed.

3.   Integration with corporate strategy

While setting your ESG objectives, it's paramount to align with your business's core missions and strategies. Doing so enhances your operational efficiency in the long run and drives market competitiveness.

For instance, if a company aims to bring innovation, it could consider integrating sustainability into product development. With this process, they can create eco-friendly products that attract a green-conscious consumer base.

Companies must also not overlook the importance of involving ESG stakeholders in setting these goals. Bringing your stakeholders together will help you get diverse perspectives that can lead to more comprehensive and attainable ESG targets.

Examples of ESG goals

Focusing on the most relevant environmental, social, and governance issues ensures your efforts align with both your business values and the broader needs of society. Here are some examples of ESG goals implemented by companies and the techniques they have put in place to achieve them:

1.   Environmental goals

Companies where transportation activities contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions must consider addressing environmental impact. For example, in 2022, 28% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. originated from the transportation sector. To tackle this, UPS implemented the ORION AI system in 2012, a sophisticated route optimizer to reduce unnecessary turns during deliveries.

This innovation has allowed UPS to save 10 million gallons of fuel annually, while slashing its carbon footprint by 100,000 metric tonnes— the equivalent of taking over 20,000 cars off the road.

2.   Social goals

While it's trickier to measure social impacts compared to environmental ones, various factors drive how companies approach and report social issues.  Your social goals are intertwined with how your business manages it’s workforce, and contributes positively to the wider community.

The aim of these goals is to encourage a supportive, inclusive, and fair environment for your employees, your customers, and the neighborhoods where you do business.

A great example of this could be gender equality in workplaces.

At Gusto, for instance, female engineers were just over 5% of the team in early 2015. Facing challenges such as reduced acceptance of their contributions, Gusto launched a targeted HR initiative to hire more female engineers and promote gender inclusivity. It increased their proportion to 20% by the end of that year—a notable improvement from the industry average.

3.   Governance goals

Governance goals in ESG are about strengthening the backbone of your organization—its leadership and oversight structures. When you set these goals, you lay down a foundation for accountability, transparency, and ethical behavior throughout your entire operation. It makes sure that every decision and action at the upper levels of your company sets the bar for integrity and openness.

IKEA's IWAY, for example, mandates suppliers uphold specific environmental and humanitarian standards to collaborate with them. This policy has evolved over 20 years, with the latest version, IWAY six, focusing on critical areas such as core worker rights, workplace safety, employee work-life balance, and the management of water and waste, alongside preventing child labor.

Strategies for accurate monitoring and reporting of ESG goals

When it comes to making sure your ESG data analytics is spot-on and your reports are crystal clear, these tried-and-true strategies can make all the difference:

1.   Stay up-to-date with regulations

ESG regulations and industry standards are always changing. It is important to stay updated on the latest regulations and updates to align your business practices with current ESG goals. Regularly check updates from regulatory bodies and ESG standard-setting organizations.

Engaging with industry groups and attending relevant webinars can also keep you clued in. Some strategies that can help you integrate new ESG regulations include;

· Set up a dedicated cross-departmental team to monitor updates and interpret how they impact your business.

· Implement a quarterly review process to assess compliance and make incremental adjustments in your ESG goals.

2.   Invest in technology

Investing in an end-to-end ESG solution like Zuno Carbon for your ESG initiatives can simplify the management of your sustainability data and ensure consistency across all reports for better planning of your ESG goals. This technology allows you to establish your baseline emissions, centralize your data and set decarbonization goals.

Integrating such technology into your sustainability practices ensures that your ESG data is not only gathered more efficiently but also allows increased granularity and transparency. It directly supports your ESG goals by providing a richer, more accurate basis for your sustainability management and reporting.

3.   Measure your progress  

It is also important to regularly review your ESG goals and track your progress.

To ensure you're on track, employ technology that can handle complex data analyses and provide real-time feedback. For instance, use IoT sensors to monitor energy usage or software that tracks waste reduction across operations.

4.   Continuous improvement

Utilize the insights from your ESG reports to refine and enhance your approach to your ESG goals regularly. You can set dynamic goals and adjust your monitoring techniques to stay aligned with current trends and best practices.

For example, if your data shows a short fall in recycling targets, you could investigate new waste management technologies or reevaluate your resource suppliers. Remember- these adjustments should be ongoing.

Conclusion

By effectively setting and achieving ESG goals, you can position your company for sustainable success and competitive advantage. The strategies discussed, such as setting SMART goals and investing in the right technology, provide a strong framework to monitor and report on ESG goals effectively.  As your business continues to evolve it is also important to stay agile in order to adapt to new challenges and new climate regulations and ensure your ESG goals remain relevant for your company, stakeholders and wider sustainability targets.

Curious about how you can measure and track your carbon emissions and improve ESG performance? Book a call with us to understand how Zuno Carbon can help you navigate the path to net-zero.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What does ESG stand for?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It refers to the three critical factors used to assess a company’s sustainability efforts, impact on society and how they handle governance practices.

How to establish ESG goals?

Setting up ESG goals involves assessing what your company is already doing in terms of ESG practices, deciding on clear and achievable targets that cover environmental, social, and governance aspects, and weaving these goals into your strategy.

Why are ESG goals important?

ESG goals matter because they steer companies toward sustainable and ethical business methods. They help reduce risks, contribute to meeting climate regulations and boost your reputation, which is a plus for drawing in investors and customers who care about a company's commitment to society and the environment.