There’s been great change over the past year in the world of corporate social impact, yet one theme remains: the recognition that the corporate social impact programming of yesterday is no longer effective in achieving the change we want to see.

The UNGC–and its corresponding Communication on Progress (CoP)–is a voluntary initiative that supports companies' commitments to responsible business practices regarding governance, human rights, labor rights, the environment, and anti-corruption.

SASB Standards were developed based on extensive feedback from companies, investors, and other market participants as part of a transparent, publicly documented process. This detailed and transparent undertaking includes evidence-based research, broad participation from companies, investors, and subject matter experts, as well oversight and approval from an independent Standards Board.

While companies ideally should be focusing on the E, S, and G pillars equally, that is frequently not the case. Decision makers who drive ESG, such as global investors, regulators, businesses and individuals, tend to prioritize the ‘E’, and even the ‘G’, over the ‘S’ for a variety of reasons. The ‘S’ has even been called “the ugly duckling” of the trio.