Your GP just asked for ESG data. Or a big customer wants your carbon footprint before the next contract renewal. Or your leadership team has decided it's time to get serious about sustainability, but nobody on staff has done this before.

Hiring the right ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) consultant can make a measurable difference in your company’s sustainability performance. Whether your goals are carbon reduction, improved governance, or investor-ready ESG reporting, this guide provides actionable steps to hire an ESG expert who delivers results. This guide is designed for companies facing increasing ESG requests from investors, clients, or procurement teams—and looking for practical, not theoretical, support.

Halfway through the year, the corporate sustainability landscape is notable for quiet action, regulatory complexity, and reduced external communications.

While public sentiment and increased scrutiny are swirling around public organizations, companies in the private markets continue to double down on their sustainability and ESG strategies. Rather than reacting to headline-driven pressure or public backlash, organizations are emphasizing first principles: focusing on the ESG initiatives that are material to their operations and long-term value creation. 

Establishing a sustainability committee is a critical step for integrating and seeing success from environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into your organization. However, its effectiveness depends on how well the committee operates, who is involved, and how priorities are selected and executed. 

The point of the webinar “ ESG in 2025: A Reality Check from Industry Professionals” was to share insights into how ESG has changed following the 2024 election and early signs of the Trump administration. Using both direct insights and crowdsourced opinions from professionals, the webinar covered key ESG trends, how we got to where we are and what the future will look like. 

When B2B companies tackle Scope 3 emissions within their supply chain, focusing on clear strategies for engagement, support, and accountability can help achieve meaningful progress toward sustainability. Scope 3 emissions—those indirect emissions from sources outside an organization’s direct control, like suppliers, product use, and logistics—often comprise the bulk of a company’s carbon footprint.

Building trust is essential in any business relationship, but in B2B environments where partnerships can last for years and even decades, it’s particularly crucial. Increasingly, companies in these sectors are finding that a robust sustainability policy can serve as a foundational tool in building and maintaining this trust.

Are you one of the companies experiencing an inbound rush of ESG-related requests? Are you seeing new ESG questions as part of the RFPs you’re filling out?