ESG Resource Hub
Measuring the Impact of
ESG Initiatives
What is ESG?
ESG is an abbreviation for environmental, social and governance. These three nonfinancial factors represent the extent to which an organization governs itself responsibly and acts in ways that positively impact people and the planet.
About the ESG Report
As global challenges arise, so does the pressure for organizations to ensure their initiatives create a better world for all. To unleash the real power of ESG, organizations must set the right targets and measure results. Read this report to learn:
- Why tracking ESG progress and outcomes is essential.
- How project leaders can help define ESG goals and objectives.
- What reporting techniques can increase ESG visibility and achieve greater buy-in.
Featured Content

Measuring the Impact of ESG Initiatives: Key Takeaways
Organizations’ ESG ambitions are critical to a sustainable future. Through communication, identifying metrics and increasing visibility, project leaders can help make ESG goals a reality.

4 Steps to Delivering ESG Impact
To deliver on ESG objectives, organizations need to do more—and they acknowledge it. From determining what to measure to documenting and sustaining outcomes, here's how to start.

The ESG Imperative: Turning Words Into Action
Global challenges place pressure on organizations to get serious about their impact and how they drive meaningful change. ESG provides the framework to make a difference.

A Quick Guide to Incorporating Sustainability Into Your Projects
Gain valuable insight on the essential factors contributing to a sustainable focus and how they affect your projects.

ESG Planning Templates
Build ESG into your planning with a goal-setting template and impact measurement framework based on the U.N.’s 17 SDGs. These two templates can help you take immediate ESG action.

6 Success Factors for Sustainability Projects
Whether engaging local stakeholders or taking a zero-waste approach, addressing climate change is everyone’s responsibility.

Project sponsors should be partners with project managers to deliver projects sustainably.
Joel Carboni, PhD
President of GPM
Detroit, Michigan, USA

The ESG agenda is a change agenda, a transformation agenda.
Orlando Nastri
FIA Business School
São Paulo, Brazil
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Much in the same way a project management office (PMO) builds formal governance, ESG helps organizations set clear criteria to track their sustainability and social good efforts—and create enterprise-wide focus for achieving long-term ROI.
-
By measuring the impact of ESG initiatives, project leaders can ensure their actions truly make a difference. These metrics can also serve as the first line of defense if those projects do not deliver as intended.
-
Sustainability is the idea that goods and services should be produced in ways that do not use resources that cannot be replaced and that do not damage the environment. In addition to natural resources and environmentalism, sustainability also includes concerns for social equity and economic development. ESG is a term used to represent an organization's corporate financial interests that focuses on sustainable and ethical impacts. While ethical, sustainable, and corporate governance are considered non-financial performance indicators, their role is to ensure accountability and systems to manage an organization’s impact, such as its carbon footprint.
-
Increasing workforce diversity, reducing the carbon footprint of supply chains, removing toxic waste from the local water supply and supporting awareness of biodiversity threats are all examples of ESG projects.
-
An understanding of data analysis, creative problem-solving, critical thinking, risk management and the ability to influence.
-
Greater efficiencies and reduced costs; talent attraction and retention; improved customer satisfaction and community reputation; innovation and growth ... and more.
-
The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, are a set of 17 integrated outcomes for a better world that address all three dimensions of sustainable development (environmental, economic and social).
Make ESG ambitions a reality. Learn more about Measuring the Impact of ESG Initiatives.
Explore More ESG Content from PMI

Need to Know: UN Sustainable Development Goals
Projects can help create a better world. By utilizing the 17 U.N. SDGs, organizations can focus their strategic visions.

Project Career Moves: ESG
Do you want to forge a career working on ESG projects? Building these skills will help you stand out.

Fulfilling the Promise of UN SDGs
Four project leaders explain how organizations can reprioritize initiatives to satisfy the promises of the U.N. SDGs.

3 Ways to Keep Your ESG Projects on Track
See how organizations are pushing sustainability from a one-off project outcome to a core business practice.

The ROI of Social Impact
Companies need to show how their products and services impact the broader community and bring value to society.

PMIImpact: The Social Good Impact of the PMI Community
PMImpact calls on changemakers to make their mark on the world by inspiring, demonstrating and enabling social good.

Why ESG is Important to Project Leaders
ESG is becoming both essential and fully integrated into every aspect of operations and culture. Learn how project teams are benefitting by incorporating ESG into their work.
Advertisement