ESS – Sustainability where it is most needed

SUSTAINABILITY @ ESS

ESS walks the talk on sustainability, and we are committed to ensuring that we and our clients integrate the Sustainable Development Goals in all that we do.

We are signatories of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), and have developed a detailed ESG and Sustainability Strategy with annual reporting in line with UNGC reporting requirements.

Sustainability Approach

Sustainability is an integral part of our company culture, and extends throughout our value chain to include our clients and our suppliers.

Our Mission and Vision Statements explicitly articulate how we have designed our business model around integrating sustainability goals in our activities as well as in our services to clients, and what we aspire to acheive in the long term.

We have developed an ESG and Sustainability Strategy that provides strategic direction on sustainability and sets out how we  intend to contribute to addressing some of the most urgent and important challenges globally in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Further, to demostrate our ambitions and commitments on sustainability, ESS is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact. We undertake regular annual UNGC reporting on progress in line with the SDGs.

Mission and Vision

Mission Statement

The core mission of ESS is to create the next generation of ESG and sustainability leaders in Africa and in emerging markets.

We do this by putting young people in the driver seat, and providing them with senior support to deliver international-quality services focused on the implementation of ESG and sustainability into our clients’ business models.

We see this approach as fundamental to creating the ESG and sustainability human resources that emerging markets will need to achieve truly sustainable environmental, social and economic development.

Our Vision

A globally-renown ESG and sustainability services firm who implements sustainability where it is most needed.

As we live and work in emerging markets, we know exactly where sustainability is most needed, and how to cost-effectively get it done.

We want our clients to immediately think of ESS as the go-to ESG and sustainability firm, because of our reputation as innovative leaders as well as for developing solutions that remove barriers to development while providing win-win results for people and the planet.

Sectors and Exclusions

ESS works in a wide variety of sectors with forward-thinking companies, investors, international financial institutions, governments, NGOs and any other organisation that is driven to contribute to improving sustainability outcomes in emerging markets.

Sectors we work with include finance and development, mining, energy, manufacturing, agriculture, water, tourism and various others. We also work with gas production companies as this is a transition fuel which is part of energy generation plans in many emerging markets.

Conversely, ESS excludes working with certain sectors and activities that either are not invested in by our investment partners, or inherently unable to contribute to the sustainability agenda.

Exclusions that we apply comprise :

  • All activities and sectors listed on the IFC Exclusion List
  • Petroleum and other oil production activities
  • Any entity producing products and/or services which are generally accepted to have negative impacts on society and/or the environment e. g. armaments, tobacco, alcohol (except beer and wine), gambling, etc.
  • Any entity which has demonstrated continuing and unremediated issues associated with human rights, corruption, child and/or forced labour etc.