ESG Management Software — All You Need To Know

ESG management software allows corporations and nonprofit boards to monitor and improve positive impacts and reduce any negative effects their daily operations have on the environment and society. 

Investors have started paying more attention to a company’s ESG score—its environmental, social, and governance performance—when deciding where to invest. As a result, publicly traded companies are focusing more on sustainability in their products and services to attract funding. 

This guide will explain what ESG management software is and whether the average organization requires it. We’ll also introduce Harbor Compliance and its Entity Management solution, which helps you stay on top of all state requirements.

What Is ESG?

Environmental, Social, and Governance, commonly known as ESG, measures an organization’s performance on ethical and sustainability standards. These metrics show how an organization impacts the environment and society. 

ESG criteria are distributed into three parts, as follows: 

1. Environmental—Measures a company’s overall ecological influence, such as its carbon footprint or water consumption.
2. Social—Gauges how an organization manages its employees, customers, suppliers, community members, etc.
3. Governance—Analyzes a firm’s leadership, internal policies, regulatory compliance, executive compensation, etc.

Note: ESG is not to be confused with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which mainly deals with a company’s internal practice or approach to becoming sustainable by participating in events, activities, or self-regulation.

Why Is ESG Important?

Global issues, such as climate change and unethical environmental practices, have started becoming major concerns for companies. This has caught the eye of consumers who prefer products that comply with current regulatory trends. 

For instance, a tech-based organization can implement renewable resources such as solar energy to power its data centers and reduce its carbon footprint. These initiatives can potentially be recognized by eco-conscious investors and consumers, helping the company establish a positive reputation. 

From an investor’s perspective, using ESG metrics helps them recognize companies currently favored by consumers with potential for growth. 

Has the Focus on ESG Grown in the United States?

Since the term “ESG” was coined in 2005, the concept itself has gained massive popularity. In fact, the majority of S&P 500 companies are submitting ESG reports, whether mandatory or voluntary. 

On the flip side, despite its growing demand, a survey by Edelman revealed around 75% of institutional investors doubt companies’ ESG commitments. One reason for this trend includes activities like greenwashing, where products are misleadingly marketed as sustainable. 

How To Track ESG

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to how ESG can be tracked. This is mainly because it involves various professionals and cross-functional teams working together using ESG software. 

However, there are some common steps that businesses can take to get started with ESG tracking: 

1. Identify KPIs—Determine your organization’s key performance indicators using industry-specific frameworks for sustainability, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) or Stakeholder Capital Metrics.
2. Gather ESG metrics—Next, you need to obtain your company’s annual financial reports and extract data on its performance levels. 
3. Review the data—Analyze obtained metrics to evaluate your firm’s strengths and weaknesses. 
4. Publish ESG score—Finally, you have to publish the ESG data on the website and amongst the shareholders. 

Note: Currently, there are no laws specifying that small organizations need to report their ESG data to the U.S. government. This means that companies can freely choose whether to share it with their stakeholders or investors. 

What Companies Are Most Interested in Tracking ESG?

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) mandates that all public companies share ESG data. Hence, public companies that wish to gain stakeholder approval are most likely to measure ESG performance. 

Additionally, nonprofits are typically more socially conscious than for-profit companies and often willingly report their ESG data to show their work’s impact on society. Doing so also helps them build trust among the general public.

Even organizations that target environmental enthusiasts can benefit from ESG tracking as it gives them a competitive edge over rival firms. This also lets them increase repeat purchases from eco-friendly consumers and save money on things like extensive paper-based records.

Do Small Businesses Need Dedicated ESG Management Software?

Overall, ESG tracking and publishing is a tedious multi-step process requiring quantitative and qualitative data. While ESG principles are important for firms that want to fulfill their responsibilities towards the environment and society, they don’t need to specifically buy dedicated ESG management software. 

Organizations also typically require a separate team to handle all ESG data, which may be a consideration for firms that rely on investments. However, the average company doesn’t see a benefit from a separate team, at least not one worth the investment. 

However, even if ESG reporting isn’t a priority, companies still have to meet key governance standards, especially in terms of regulatory compliance. While companies may not actively report on all ESG factors, they are legally required to adhere to these governance frameworks to mitigate risks, avoid legal penalties, and maintain operational integrity. 

This can only be achieved when you have insight into your entity’s health, which can be time-consuming. Enter Harbor Compliance, a professional service provider that helps you manage all the stages of your entity’s lifecycle, handling the tasks on your behalf. 

Harbor Compliance—A Comprehensive Entity Management Solution

Whether growing companies or nonprofits, any firm can benefit from Harbor Compliance’s Entity Manager software module. From displaying your entity’s health to automating annual reports, it provides everything you need to be in good standing with the state.

By integrating with secretary of states’ databases, the software allows you to look up public information like registration numbers and entity types of all your owned companies. The module also leverages our native Compliance Core™ database to display all ongoing events and their assignments. We regularly update this database to help you view the latest jurisdiction changes. 

The Entity Manager is only one part of our Software Suite, which hosts more solutions to ensure compliance continuity even when your company undergoes various changes. 

How Else You Can Benefit From Our Software Suite

Our proprietary Software Suite allows you to leverage various modules simultaneously and makes managing board processes, licenses, and tax registrations more efficient. They include: 

• License Manager—It helps you track and store all business licenses under one roof. You can view which states you hold licenses in, their issuing jurisdiction, expiry dates, and recurring tasks like renewal. Custom notifications keep you up to date with every task’s status. 
• Tax Manager—The tax manager displays all key tax account information, such as tax ID name and number, along with all your tax registrations. Attach important notes and documents to organize all returns. You can also track who is responsible for every task using an event list and eliminate the need to store data on spreadsheets. 
• Records Manager—This module enables all companies to track their current board, meeting minutes, organizational documents, and ownership and leadership information. Set automated reminders for recurring events such as board meetings to stay organized and benefit from having all data related to BOI reporting in place. 
• Requirements Research Engine—It lets you find information on various licensing requirements in all 50 U.S. states. Powered by the Compliance Core™ algorithm, it helps you find detailed guides and necessary information regarding licenses. 

How To Schedule a Demo of Harbor Compliance’s Software Suite

To schedule a free demo and access our Software Suite, follow the steps below: 

1. Go to the software demo page. 
2. Enter your personal and company details.
3. Choose your industry from the drop-down menu. 
4. Click on the Schedule a Demonstration tab.

Additional Services by Harbor Compliance

Apart from helping organizations with their entity management needs, our services expand to other important tasks. Explore the table below to learn more: 

Benefit From Convenient Entity Management With Harbor Compliance 

While the average organization doesn’t have to track its ESG practices, remaining in good standing with the state is a must. If you need help meeting your state’s regulatory requirements, partnering with a professional service provider like Harbor Compliance is the right move.

Our comprehensive Software Suite, which consists of multiple modules designed for different purposes, helps organizations automate their compliance tracking and manage tax information, ownership records, etc., under one roof. 

Engage with us and learn more about our services by scheduling a free software demo or contacting our team of professionals for more information. Curious to know your entity’s current standing with the state? Get your free Harbor Compliance Score™ to discover areas for improvement, and visit our Information Center for more details.