As importantly, companies need to take account of the fundamental reset of the relationship between business and society. Regulatory, investor, consumer and employee pressure make such transformation inevitable.

It has become non-negotiable to get your social and environmental house in order, opening up access to capital and giving your organisation a licence to operate. 

Those that will stand out from the pack and reap the largest commercial gains will be the ones who understand that society now expects – needs – organisations to do more than tick the box. They are the companies that create enduring social value as a whole by putting purpose at the heart of what they do.

This purpose will drive change across the entire organisation, from who you hire, to the communities and customers you serve, to the suppliers you contract. Doing this, and, critically, being seen to do this, will move your organisation from licence to operate to a licence to grow.

Apella works with organisations to evaluate a company’s contribution to social value using the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Defined in 2015, these 17 objectives address the critical social and environmental challenges the world faces. Helpfully, they are written as opportunities to embrace rather than risks to mitigate.

Building upon an approach developed by the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership we focus on six impact areas to derive a sensible benchmarking framework   

The output is a clear framework for action across all of environment, social and governance with specific commitments and initiatives identified ready for deployment, activation and embedding across the organisation.