The social aspect of ESG focuses on how a business impact wider society and workplace culture. But how can travel buyers bring this aspect into their travel programmes? What are the benefits and why is the social side of ESG so important?

ITM recently hosted a webinar to help answer those questions, and provide buyers with valuable insights from an expert panel who delved deeper into the social side of ESG.

The session opened with a presentation from Andy Daly, Head of Corporate at Social Enterprise UK, the membership body that leads the world’s largest network of businesses with a social or environmental purpose. He explained the business benefits for organisations who identify and procure social enterprises as suppliers. This includes increases in supplier diversity (for example one in two social enterprises are female-led), improving employee engagement and talent retention, enhanced brand reputation, and helping to win new business.

This was followed by a presentation from Sebastian Bachelier, Senior Partnerships & Campaigns Manager at Living Wage Foundation, the organisation at the heart of the independent movement that campaigns for businesses to pay their staff a UK wage rate based on the real cost of living. He shared results of a survey conducted among 15,000 of the Foundation’s accredited Living Wage Employers, highlighting the benefits to their business of paying a real living wage. For example 87% said that it has enhanced their reputation as an employer; 66% said it has helped differentiate from their competitors; 64% also saw improved relations between staff and managers.

The webinar then moved to a panel discussion including two of ITM’s buyer members who are passionate about ensuring their travel programmes consider their social responsibilities and impact. Both buyers endorsed the benefits of focussing on the social aspect of ESG in terms of staff retention, creating pathways for people to succeed within the business; helping companies achieve ESG objectives; enhanced brand reputation and competitor differentiation.

They also shared recommended steps that buyers can start to take in order to bring social initiatives into their programme. This includes

• Reviewing aspects of your supply chain, for example second tier suppliers, to invite social enterprises into tender processes
• Connecting with the relevant ESG stakeholder at current suppliers e.g. airline supplier, and encourage them to embrace social enterprises in their own supply chain
• Categorising and marking social enterprise hotels in your booking tool
• Seeking to include social enterprises in tenders and proposals when sourcing meetings and events venues

The panellists also urged businesses to focus less on the perceived cost of social mobility initiatives, and instead the benefits to business. Summing up with a key piece of advice, they said: “Find the reasons to do it, not the excuses not to do it.”

A recording of the webinar can be viewed here alongside the slides from both presentations by Social Enterprise UK, and Living Wage Foundation can be downloaded.