The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) together with Shift has released a primer for CFOs on advancing the “S” in ESG.

Social issues are becoming a higher priority on the business agenda. This is, in part, due to growing recognition of inequality as a systemic risk to the resilience of business operations, value chains and business models. New due diligence regulations and reporting standards are solidifying what is expected of companies.

CFOs have an evolving, but critical, role to play in communicating corporate social performance, serving as the link between a company’s impacts and its financial performance. CFOs are also tasked with engaging with investors, regulators and standard setters in guiding and implementing how the “S” is measured and evaluated internally and by external stakeholders.

Prepared together with CFOs from across the CFO Network, this primer provides a key starting point for CFOs working to address the emerging demands and challenges, covering both an overview of the what, the who and the how of corporate social performance and key recommendations of improving the measurement of that performance.

This body of work is part of WBCSD’s CFO Network which brings together 50 CFOs from across all sectors and geographies. Members of the CFO Network are collaborating to raise the bar on the “S” in ESG through open discussion and giving input into the global standard-setting processes.