By Jay Crangle, Director – Programmes

As with climate and nature, businesses are increasingly recognising that social issues can have a significant impSBC has been working with Proxima recently to interview Executives about the people implications of the transition to a low-emissions economy. With AI the topic du jour, most executives spoke first about digital transformation rather than climate change. Technology is often the lens through which we view disruption. This extends to sustainability, where our minds turn to cleantech, renewable energy and data systems when we think about climate action.

But some of the most important sustainability challenges facing businesses today cannot be solved through tech alone.

You can’t install a piece of software to address a skills shortage. You can’t automate community trust. And while technology can help identify human rights risks, it can’t replace the leadership required to respond to them.
Most organisations can quantify their carbon footprint. Fewer can answer questions about future workforce capability, modern slavery in their value chain, or the social impacts of major business decisions. Yet these issues can ultimately shape business performance just as much as emissions, energy costs or resource constraints.
These challenges are already showing up across our three focus areas; the people impacts of the low emissions transition, human rights due diligence, and social impact measurement and disclosure.

People-centred transition

The people element of low emissions transition is a good example. The transition to a more sustainable economy will create new jobs, change existing roles and require new capabilities across sectors. Preparing for that future is not simply about investing in technology. It is about investing in people, skills and leadership. SBC has identified this topic as a key component of building social resilience and shared prosperity for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Human Rights Due Diligence

The same is true for human rights. Expectations on businesses continue to evolve, with increasing scrutiny of supply chains, labour practices and responsible business conduct. Strong systems matter, but so do organisational culture, governance and decision-making. Human rights due diligence has become an increasingly important part of what responsible business leadership looks like.

Social Impact and disclosure

Many organisations are also grappling with how to better understand, measure and disclose their impacts on people and communities. As expectations around transparency continue to evolve, businesses are increasingly looking for practical ways to integrate social factors into decision-making, reporting and strategy.

Perhaps most importantly, these challenges require leadership capability. Sustainability increasingly involves navigating trade-offs, balancing competing priorities and making decisions in conditions of uncertainty. These are fundamentally human skills.

This is why SBC is strengthening its focus on social sustainability. We recognise that this topic is the foundations on which a successful, resilient business is built. As such our aim is to help businesses integrate social sustainability into strategy, operations and value chains.

SBC’s work focuses on building the evidence base, empowering business action and supporting credible disclosure, including through initiatives such as the Taskforce on inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD). Importantly, members have told us they want practical action, not more theory. SBC’s approach therefore focuses on helping businesses tackle real-world challenges through capability building, peer learning, executive engagement and practical tools.

How members can get involved

There are a number of ways members can participate:

• Develop your organisation’s capability in modern slavery and human rights
• Collaborate with peers on supply chain issues through Collaborative Advantage
• Join our programme on understanding the people impacts of the transition to a low emissions economy
• Enhance your disclosure and reporting practices through our TISFD Alliance and Social Impact Sprints.

Technology will remain an important part of the sustainability transition. But the organisations best positioned for the future will be those that recognise sustainability is not only about systems and tools. It is also about people, relationships and the choices leaders make every day.

Contact Jay Crangle Director – Programmes to take part.