Environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting for social housing

FPAG member Susan Hickey, a board member at Westmoreland Supported Housing Association, writes about the importance of reporting on ESG performance and why this has never been more vital for the sector.

Housing providers’ social purpose and impact is significant. The need to scale up the supply of new genuinely affordable homes is clear. Investor interest is strong and growing. However, there is an increasing need for the UK social housing sector to clearly highlight and report on its strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. Never has it been more important to be able to tell our story.

By establishing a credible, meaningful and comparable set of ESG criteria, the sector can deliver an approach to ESG reporting which can be adopted by key stakeholders, including lenders, investors, regulatory bodies and government. Building on our strong track record of collaboration, we can mobilise the value of the sector at the forefront of best practice.

A project is now underway, as a significant step towards achieving that goal. On the project website you can read the White Paper, and catch up on webinars and feedback during the consultation period (note: the deadline for responding to the consultation has been extended to 31 July.)

This is not intended to be a ranking system or yet another league table, but a framework for each organisation to be able to map and communicate their own path on this vital subject. This project has already received considerable support from a wide range of stakeholders and we want the strength and breadth of the whole sector to be involved.