The IWA 48:2024: Implementation of ESG Principles document, from ISO, provides a comprehensive and structured framework for organizations to integrate and communicate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) sustainability practices. It serves as a key reference for organizations aiming to align with international best practices, enhance their ESG performance, and demonstrate their commitment to a sustainable future.
The IWA 48:2024 was developed to support organizations of all sizes and sectors in consistently and reliably measuring and communicating their ESG performance in alignment with global standards. Using this guide offers several advantages:
- Transparency and Credibility: It establishes principles such as integrity, transparency, and accountability, ensuring that organizations’ ESG practices and reports are clear and based on trustworthy data, thereby strengthening trust with investors, partners, and stakeholders.
- Identification of Relevant Impacts: The document introduces the concept of materiality, guiding organizations in identifying and prioritizing significant ESG impacts and fostering concrete actions and strategies aligned with environmental and social needs.
- Standardized Performance Indicators (KPIs): The guide provides adaptable KPI examples for:
- Environmental: carbon emission reductions, efficient resource management, and biodiversity protection.
- Social: working conditions, workplace safety, and community impact.
- Governance: anti-corruption practices, leadership diversity, and decision-making transparency.
- Stakeholder Engagement: By adopting IWA 48:2024, organizations are encouraged to actively identify and engage with internal and external stakeholders, fostering collaborative decisions and strengthened relationships.
- Comparable ESG Reporting: The guide helps create consistent reports aligned with global frameworks such as ISSB standards or the EU’s CSRD directive, enabling greater comparability and regulatory compliance.
The IWA 48:2024 promotes a dynamic and evolving approach, encouraging organizations to view ESG as a journey of growth and innovation, integrating sustainable practices into their culture and daily operations:
- Organizations with robust ESG practices stand out in the market, attract responsible investments, and build trust with investors.
- Transparency and sustainable commitments strengthen brand reputation, creating trust with customers, employees, and communities.
- Measuring and communicating ESG performance aligns organizations with market expectations, promoting corporate responsibility leadership and enhancing competitiveness.
- Alignment with global sustainability goals allows organizations to contribute to sustainability by helping to solve challenges ranging from climate change to social inequality.
Access the guide here.
