Best Practices: Weaving Social Into ESG And Sustainability Strategies
Join Vantage to access this research
Access our entire Corporate Sustainability Leaders research portfolio by joining Vantage
Need help or have a question about this report? Contact us for assistance
Executive Summary
As firms struggle to incorporate an increasing range of concerns into their ESG and sustainability strategies, social issues remain notoriously complex and ambiguous, often presenting more subjective and nuanced challenges compared with environmental and governance issues. This report is designed to support the C-Suite and sustainability teams in integrating social concerns into their ESG and sustainability strategies, by spotlighting emerging best practices.
Firms are struggling to incorporate social concerns into their ESG and sustainability strategies
Addressing social factors is essential for businesses to achieve long-term stability and success
Firms are prioritizing a myriad of social factors through different approaches, as part of their sustainability strategies
Organizations face significant challenges when integrating social concerns in their sustainability strategies
Best practices for firms weaving social factors into ESG and sustainability strategies
An intentional and programmatic approach is essential for firms to translate social performance ambitions into effective actions
Buy-in from stakeholders at all levels drives sustainability performance improvements
Firms should leverage external frameworks, digital tools and consulting expertise for social sustainability
Figure 2. Snapshot of social regulations across the world
Figure 3. Human rights investigations and litigation: 2022-2024
Figure 4. Cheat sheet for integrating social into sustainability strategies
Figure 5. Questions firms should ask themselves
Figure 6. Examples of corporate social initiatives tied to business concerns
About the Authors
Priyanka Bawa
Principal Analyst
Priyanka is a Principal Analyst at Verdantix, where she leads research to enable sustainability leaders and services firms to analyse shifting market dynamics and evaluate inn...
View Profile
Kim Knickle
Research Director
Kim Knickle is a Research Director at Verdantix, bringing more than two decades of analyst experience to the evolving world of sustainability. Her current research spans ESG a...
View ProfileOther related content
Digital decarbonization is evolving rapidly, and many of the tools used for carbon reporting today are not designed to support the operational decisions organizations need to make ...
Upcoming / 28 May, 2026
Energy volatility is no longer a future risk. It is a present-day operational challenge. Industrial firms are under growing pressure from fluctuating prices, shifting dependencies ...
Upcoming / 27 May, 2026
In March 2026, the GHG Protocol released its Phase 1 Progress Update on the revision of the Scope 3 Standard, the first substantive overhaul since 2011. Developed by a 65-member Te...
24 April, 2026
Much of the recent sustainability discourse has focused on policy rollbacks and regulatory uncertainty in the EU and US. This emphasis, while justified, risks obscuring a parallel ...
16 April, 2026
Industrial firms are being hit by operational shocks with growing frequency and complexity. Supply chain disruptions, energy price volatility, labour shortages and rapid shifts in ...
16 April, 2026
Industrial firms are becoming accustomed to operating in environments that change faster than their traditional planning processes were designed to handle. Supply chains shift unex...
15 April, 2026