Lifestyle brands are increasingly committed to sustainability, implementing various strategies to protect the environment and stay true to their values. They are adopting eco-friendly materials, reducing waste, and minimizing carbon footprints throughout their supply chains. Many brands are turning to renewable energy sources and integrating circular economy principles, which involve recycling and repurposing products to extend their lifecycle. Additionally, they are transparent about their practices, providing consumers with detailed information on their sustainability efforts. Collaborating with environmental organizations and participating in global sustainability initiatives are also common practices. These steps ensure that lifestyle brands not only meet current environmental standards but also contribute to a more sustainable future.

The Impact Collective, a conglomeration of thought leaders, set out to make the ESG journey of businesses much easier and achievable. A talent pool with experts from varied fields, it works to guide businesses in their journey towards a sustainable green economy. Helping businesses navigate through the labyrinth of ESG protocols and guidelines, the ImPart Collective is driven by a unique people approach that makes the journey sustainable and feasible. Pooja Nataraj, Co-Founder, of The ImPart Collective shares her thoughts and insights on The ImPart Collective’s fruitful journey thus far. Excerpts from the interview:

1. Could you tell us about the ImPart Collective, the reason behind its inception, and what sets it apart from other ESG solution providers?

The Idea of a ‘Collective’ approach to sustainability consulting was conceived during my MBA program at SUMAS, Switzerland. This indeed is what I believe is a true test of ‘sustainability’, and I hope the results of this experiment are fruitful at all levels. Sustainability needs a systemic approach and a true system is made up of intellectual human capital. What sets it apart is the collective approach to ESG. The founding members of the Collective come from varied fields, starting from Energy to Fashion to Architecture to Hospitality and Tourism. It is driven by collaboration and a sincere collective goal to find solutions that are easy to implement for all sizes of companies.

2. What key methodologies or technologies does ImPart Collective employ toward guiding businesses in their journey towards a sustainable green economy along with ESG tracking and monitoring solutions?

ImPart collective is aligned with globally accepted reporting methodologies such as CSRD, GRI, and SASB. The focus is to identify and develop a materiality matrix for each client along with detailed stakeholder engagement. This ensures that the company is aware of their impact at all levels of operations.

The ImPart Collective’s unique approach as a people-driven ESG consultancy, as opposed to an AI-driven one, offers several distinct advantages that align closely with the evolving needs of the sustainability sector.

Human Insight and Creativity: The field of sustainability requires not just data analysis but also creative problem-solving and design thinking. The ImPart Collective’s people-driven approach leverages the diverse experiences and insights of its members, enabling innovative strategies and solutions that are tailored to each client’s unique challenges and opportunities.

Real-World Experience and Adaptability: Unlike AI, which relies on existing data and algorithms, the human experts at The ImPart Collective bring a wealth of real-world experience. This allows for a more nuanced understanding of sustainability issues and the adaptability to respond to unexpected challenges or emerging trends in real time.

Personalized Client Engagement: The Collective’s approach emphasizes personalized interactions with clients, ensuring that their specific needs and contexts are understood and addressed. This level of engagement is essential for effective ESG strategy development and implementation.

3. Can you share your perspective on the importance of ESG standardization for companies and SMEs and how they contribute to the market and ecosystem?

The market is made up of big, medium, and small companies and it is this collective engine that drives the economy. There is an intervention required to standardize reporting across all industries to understand the collective impact of the market to assess how to mitigate and reduce negative impact on the environment and its people. Without standardized data, it is mission impossible to solve the sustainability problem of achieving a balanced triple bottom line.

4. Can you explain the current landscape of ESG considerations within the real estate and agriculture industry? How have these considerations evolved over the past decade?

Over the past decade, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations have significantly shaped the real estate sector.

1. Environmental (E)

●      Focus on climate change, natural resources, pollution, recycling, and waste.

●      Buildings are assessed for energy efficiency and emissions using rating systems like BREEAM, LEED, and WELL.

●      Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards require commercial properties to achieve a minimum Energy Performance Certificate rating of B by 2030.

2. Social (S)

●      Emphasis on human capital, health, and well-being.

●      Demand for buildings that positively impact society, including high-performance buildings, public green spaces, and no-contact building access.

●      Support for local enterprises (cafes, shops) within real estate developments.

3. Governance (G)

●      Factors like diversity, culture, and reputation.

●      Applicable to property owners, tenants, and management companies.

●      ESG-focused legislation and policies drive greener investments in real estate.

Despite challenges, such as climate policy shifts, ESG remains a top priority for fund managers, investors, and landlords, shaping sustainable practices in the industry.

5. How does Impart Collective navigate through ESG solutions in startups and address the new ESG laws and regulations?

Navigating ESG solutions and complying with new laws can be challenging, especially for startups, at ImPart Collective, we use the following process to assist clients in getting started on their Green Journey:

Identify Relevant ESG Metrics with a focus group formed with major and diverse stakeholders in the startup

●      Understand which environmental, social, and governance factors matter most to the startup.

●      Gather data on emissions, diversity, health & safety, and other relevant areas.

Risk Assessment:

●      Evaluate ESG risks specific to the industry and operations of the startup

●      Consider how these risks impact the business model and long-term sustainability.

Set Targets and Policies:

●      Define clear ESG goals aligned with the startup’s mission.

●      Develop policies that address sustainability, ethics, and social impact.