ESG creates better financial performance, mitigates legal and brand risk and increases trust. But making ESG gains is about more than improving business metrics. Joe Wilkins, a founding member of the Black Directors Health Equity Agenda, talks about how health equity lies at the center of it all.
With corporate boards more attuned than ever to environmental, social and governance factors, ESG materiality is a prime concern. How can an organization address its sustainability issues and make a positive impact on the community? There is much to learn from the healthcare industry’s focus on health disparities. Organizations in and out of the healthcare ecosystem will benefit from an ESG framework that considers health equity.
The movement to recognize ESG is not a fad, its roots dating to 2004 — when the U.N. Global Compact and 20 financial institutions produced the report, “Who Cares Wins.” ESG was seen from the outset as smart business. In 2023, a Deloitte report found 99% of public companies expect to invest in ESG reporting and technology.
For healthcare boards, the implications are obvious. A proactive ESG approach creates better financial performance, mitigates legal and brand risk and increases trust. And for all businesses, health equity lies at the core of making those ESG gains palpable…
