In October, the UK’s Climate Change Committee warned that, as a nation, we must prepare for at least 2 degree Celsius of global warming in just the next 25 years.

This article is by Stephanie Maurel – CEO of the Corporation of Church House. 

In that same week, we also learned the world had reached its first climate tipping point – a catastrophic threshold which triggers irreversible damage to some of the Earth’s major ecosystems – with warm water coral reefs now facing long-term decline. Not to mention a new study which calculates that, under our current rate of warming, the world’s superhot days will increase by 57% by the end of the century.

Frightening stuff, right?

There is, of course, good news too – COP 30, the annual global climate change summit, begins next week, and renewables recently overtook coal as the world’s biggest source of electricity – but all this underlines why ESG (environmental, social and governance) is so important, and why we, as business leaders, have both a platform and a responsibility to act.

Beyond ‘compliance’
As senior management, our voices are uniquely placed to shape the industry’s standards on ESG while our real-time decisions have the power to balance financial, social and environmental pressures on the ground. Both send an important signal that ESG is a board-level priority – not an add-on or a ‘nice-to-have’.

That’s why I was so thrilled to be a panellist at the recent beam & mia ESG Summit. Uniting with other industry leaders, we explored how the events sector can shift culture, not just report data, to make the planet a stakeholder in every business. From opening up new partnership opportunities with sustainable suppliers to fuelling creative campaigns (such as the Greengage “Swap Plastic for Purpose” campaign) and differentiating venues amongst eco-conscious clients, ESG is fundamental to driving innovation, growth and long-term competitiveness across our sector.

But, too often right now, it’s more of just a box-ticking exercise – and that needs to change.

At Church House Westminster, where we officially become a carbon neutral venue in 2024 (an incredible six years ahead of target), I’ve seen first-hand how to move ESG from ‘compliance’ to a core part of business strategy. There are three key pillars – clients, staff and senior leadership.

Clients: swapping data for difference
With clients, it’s about swapping data for difference – talking to them in a language that resonates with their lived experience. Yes, we could tell them our carbon-negative refurbishment saved 1,902 tonnes of CO2. But what does that really mean? Instead, we tell them a story about how many flights they could have flown from London to New York and back with the amount of carbon we saved (1,067, if you’re interested).

We also use clients to hold ourselves accountable. Through transparent sustainability reporting and joint target-setting with clients, we’ve ensured our clients expect purpose-driven growth from us – and that means we need to deliver.

Staff: embedding ESG at every level
For our teams, ESG isn’t a side project; it’s a primary part of the employee lifecycle. Our ESG values, initiatives and partnerships are embedded into staff training and inductions, meaning employees see social impact as a core part of their role from day one.

We also integrate ESG goals into job roles, offering all staff carbon literacy training, and regularly share updates on our collective efforts. Whether as an individual or a team, responsibility for positive change is something we see as proactive, dynamic and consistently evolving.

Leadership: using data to drive change
At a senior leadership level, our approach flips. Here, data is king – and we make it work for us. Using a live data dashboard, we continually demonstrate the progress and impact being made across key ESG areas, regularly refreshing information and targets to show how previous progress is constantly being built upon.

This helps us make the business case for ESG, proving its value as a decision-making tool, exemplifying the importance of including it in contracts and KPIs, and enabling us to showcase the joint business and social benefit of making ESG a steadfast pillar of long-term strategy – counteracting the narrative it adds risk to a brand by providing evidence of how it adds tangible value.

Just start now
Of course, I appreciate this isn’t easy, and balancing short-term business pressures with long-term ESG commitments can be challenging. But, the thing is, climate change isn’t going away and, as we continue to evolve as a species, we must find ways to manage our consumption responsibly.

Take AI, for example; a revolutionary tool with immense potential, but one which also demands vast amounts of energy. Whether we act now or in five years’ time, the need for action won’t change. The only difference is that, if we wait, the impacts of climate change will be worse – and the actions we’ll need to take as businesses to mitigate this will be harder.

Small changes, big impact
So, where to begin if this is all new to you? Start with the quick wins to build momentum – ban bottled water, avoid single-use marketing materials and introduce meat-free menus, for example. One of the key messages I shared at the beam and mia ESG Summit was that small, practical changes can have a big impact. So, start with one visible change and tell that story. Then make the next change, share it again, and keep going.

Utilise other voices to show the demand that’s already out there – clients asking about ESG policies, other businesses taking action or peers discussing sustainability at industry events. Capitalise on this to show that the industry is moving and, if you want to stay relevant and profitable, you need to keep up.

Reframing ESG as a cost-saver, rather than an expense, also helps. Energy and waste are two areas where this could be particularly useful. At Church House Westminster, for instance, we reduced our water usage by 92% when we switched to waterless urinals, saving 7.5million litres of this precious resource annually. Similarly, 100% of our waste is saved from landfill; 75% is recycled or used to make gas and fertiliser, while the other 25% is used to power homes and businesses.

Collaboration over competition
Finally, whether you’re starting from scratch or already part way along your sustainability journey, remember you’re not alone. By making ESG central to your business, you’re joining a wide community of like-minded individuals and organisations – all there for help and support. I’m a big believer that a rising tide lifts all boats – and by collaborating across businesses, we’ll only accelerate our collective progress.

At the end of the day, you don’t need to be an expert in ESG – you just need to be able to chat to those that are.