Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) is an emerging strategic planning concept recognizing that organizational success is intertwined with both the environment (resources) and its community (labor, customers, regulators). The goal of ESG related-actions is to improve organizational longevity by addressing environmental sustainability and community well-being through effective organizational governance.

This session will define ESG and discuss its relationship to sustainability and solid waste management. Second, this session will describe ESG reporting frameworks, including the recently adopted Security and Exchange Commission’s rules for more consistent, comparable, and reliable information about the financial effects of climate-related risks and how to manage those risks. Lastly, this session will include benchmarking of public and private organizations that have integrated ESG into their strategic business planning.