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Addressing social sustainability involves a wide range of considerations, including equity, diversity, inclusion, fair access to resources, community cohesion, and labour rights, with some organisations potentially feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to start.
In response, IEMA’s Social Sustainability Steering Group published a guide in January introducing key terms, concepts, delivery methods, and basic metrics organisations can use to measure their impact on society.
Social Sustainability 101 also introduces key legislation and case studies, as well as further reading resources to help deepen understanding of wider frameworks and concepts within sustainable development.
Below, IEMA’s policy and engagement lead for circular economy and social sustainability Agnes Chruszcz explains how members can help shape the future of this evolving field as businesses become increasingly concerned about their societal impact.
What is driving interest in social sustainability?
Stewardship over the planet is key to sustainable development, but there is growing recognition that there is a human element as well. For example, the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for clean water obviously has an environmental element, but it aims to ensure clean water is available to everybody in an equitable and just way, and not just for a small minority of people. Equally, with food, shelter, and education, it's all about everybody having access to these resources. Social sustainability focuses on the human aspect, which is deeply intertwined with environmental and economic sustainability.
Why is it only recently that the subject seems to be getting much more attention?
Some people might think about it as quite nebulous and boundaryless because it’s so complex, and I think that can put people off from taking action, but actually you can target some very specific areas to make an impact. There are regulations like the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive that are driving action, but there are also broader benefits to tackling social issues from a business perspective.
What are the key areas of focus for IEMA?
Our steering group is still quite new, and we're finding our feet in terms of our areas of focus, because the subject is so broad and can touch so many areas. You could look at things like health and safety with a lens of social sustainability, or fair working conditions, employment for vulnerable people, ethical supply chains, or even tackling crime rates. We will be looking at policy interventions that can practically be implemented to boost social sustainability while at the same time helping with economic growth in the UK. We also want to share practical solutions to tackle issues such as modern slavery in supply chains or how to measure and report social sustainability for an organisation or project.
Are you looking for more people to be involved in the group?
Yes, because there isn't one person that will know everything about the subject. We are looking to expand the different levels of experience and expertise and sectors, and put together working groups for specific subjects for particular papers, articles and blogs. I’m still looking to build those contacts and for members to share case studies.
What are the first steps businesses can take with social sustainability?
Our Social Sustainability 101 guide is a really useful resource, but the first thing to do is a materiality assessment. So what does your business do, and where do you have an impact? That’s all the way through your product or service, workforce, the communities within your vicinity, and supply chains. A lot of businesses will already be doing that anyway for environmental sustainability, but it’s about looking at many of the same areas through a different lens. If for example you are already working on boosting biodiversity, you're probably already helping people in the local area, because green spaces are beneficial for humans as well and you might look at how the local community can be involved in these types of projects. You can also be active in organisations like IEMA to push the agenda, help share best practice, and influence policy.
How has IEMA’s guide been received?
We’ve had a lot of good engagement on social media and members have been very interested. We are planning to send out a survey in the next few weeks to ask some follow-up questions. So are there any particular areas that they would want us to explore further? How does social sustainability fit in the members’ job s roles? Do they see it as a big part of what they do, or is it just an add on and something that's still evolving? We’re really keen to learn more about what our members want from the social sustainability work stream.
Contact [email protected] to learn more about IEMA’s Social Sustainability Steering Group
Chris Seekings is the Deputy Editor of IEMA’s Transform magazine, which is published biomonthly for IEMA members. Chris’s role involves writing sustainability-related news, features and interviews, as well as helping to plan and manage the magazine’s other day-to-day activities.
