August - December 2022, Parsons School of Design
Environmental Social Governance (ESG), Design Research
What’s the risk of not having everyone involved?
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Background
— Brief
This project explores ESG as a research topic with opportunity areas emphasising accessibility, transparency, and community within the complex ever changing ecosystem of ESG, SBTi, UN SDG.
The final outcome is a video that wraps long research, synthesis, and ideation into a quick visual story, including three ESG opportunity areas we discovered.
— Skills
Qualitative Research
Synthesis & Ideation
Synthesis Workshop
Opportunity Mapping
Storytelling
Video Editing
Narration
— Tools
Notion
Mural
Miro
Typeform
Canva
Executive Summary
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This project focuses its research at the intersection of Environmental Social Governance (ESG), Science Based Target initiatives (SBTi), and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
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Through desk research, interviews, and synthesis workshops with experts in the topic, the research concluded with 3 key insights.
ESG is a risk analysis. The system that ESG lives within is complex and constantly changing.
People, corporations, and investors have preferences towards ESG, affecting where they focus their efforts. Simultaneously, it is more practical to target only some areas of ESG rather than all.
ESG can have a successful impact when changing internal company procurement processes.
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From the top 3 insights, we were able to create 3 areas of opportunity.
Simplify and centralise the complex system of frameworks, sources, and constant change in the ESG ecosystem.
Link ESG risk for companies and social action for humanity to discover the most impactful area for companies to start.
Make internal communication easier within the workplace when addressing ESG procurement practices.
Learn more about implementation by scrolling on.
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The ESG / SBTi / UN SDG ecosystem is currently operating in silos, when impacting everyone on the planet.
If ESG is a risk analysis, we believe the risk of not giving everyone access to this information is the biggest risk of all.
Our Purpose
To learn how large scale goals within publicly traded companies can be shifted into actionable strategies and then applied towards ESG goals.
Qualitative Research Methods
Articles
To gather initial research on the topic and collect a base understanding.
Case Studies
To find commonalities and conditions between successful and unsuccessful goals.
Interviews
To gather and understand multiple viewpoints and expertise within the same subject matter: ESG.
Podcasts
To access C Suite executives opinions on the topic who would otherwise be inaccessible.
Informal Convos
We’ve found that some people in our teams network have experience in the ESG space so we have ongoing conversations with them.
Identifying The Problem
We have to change how information is communicated between organisations, and stakeholders.
Why?
Without adequate communication between ESG investors, SBTi, the United Nations, and Governments adaptability of new rules and regulations will be unclear and therefore unachievable for global corporations.
ESG / SBTi / UN SDG Ecosystem
ESG = Environmental Social Governance
SBTi = Science Based Target initiatives
UN SDG = United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals
This diagram includes direct quotes, and stakeholders involved.
Our first step is to understand the system we are working within.
This diagram showcases how three systems (ESG / SBTi / UN SDG) impact each other. Our initial hypothesis was that they worked collectively together but our research proved otherwise.
As we researched, we expanded UN SDG to “sustainability goals” to include corporations that are releasing sustainability goal documents separate to ESG documents.
How Might We
bridge the gap between ESG goals and actionable strategies in global corporations?
Key Insights
ESG is a risk analysis. The system that ESG lives within is complex and constantly changing.
People, corporations, and investors have preferences towards ESG, affecting where they focus their efforts. Simultaneously, it is more practical to target only some areas of ESG rather than all.
ESG can have a successful impact when changing internal company procurement processes.
Leverage Points
Leverage points are the areas within the system where we believe a solution can be applied in order to bring out the desired outcome.
Opportunity Matrix
The opportunity matrix allows for our team to unbiasedly prioritise the opportunity areas against each other by determining how much effort is needed and the value that it will produce. Anything that falls into the blue quadrants, produce high value with lower effort.
Point of Innovation
This diagram allows us to find a point of innovation that solves for multiple opportunity areas.
In our case it was “a platform that compiles tools and reporting for companies and investors.”
Desirability, Viability, Feasibility Venn Diagram
Once we found the top 3 opportunity areas, we mapped it on the desirability, viability, feasibility venn diagram.
Storytelling Concept Development
As a team, we aimed to make talking about ESG fun.
Initially, we used running as a metaphor for starting ESG goals. We did this through a 5-step process:
Kick off: building goals and strategy
Training: partnering with external stakeholders
Nutrition: healing and accomplishing mini goals
Recovery: reflection, reorganising, resetting
Balance: financial vs social impact
Once we found the opportunity areas and finalised research, the concept of kickoff / training / nutrition / recovery / balance simplified into “taking your first steps”. A concept that everyone can relate to. It sparked from the intimidating feeling of not knowing where to start but starting anyways, like when you are a child and you take your first steps.
Through our refined metaphor, we translated our research into a comprehensive quick video that wraps long research, synthesis, and ideation into visual story, highlighting ESG opportunity areas we discovered. Through storytelling we were able to create an understanding, trust, and familiarity with the viewer.