---
title: Getting started on your sustainability committee
description: In our 30 ways in 30 days series, we provide a step-by-step guide to forming an ESG committee, a cross-functional team essential for managing ESG risks, driving strategy, and ensuring accountability and transparency in sustainability efforts
---

[Insights - thinkPARALLAX ](https://blog.thinkparallax.com)

# [Getting started on your sustainability committee](https://blog.thinkparallax.com/getting-started-on-your-esg-committee)

 Written by [thinkPARALLAX](https://blog.thinkparallax.com/author/thinkparallax) | November 29, 2023

In our 30 ways in 30 days series, we're sharing 30 essentials to developing or refining your company's sustainability strategy and action plan. To dive deeper, [download our Field Manuals](https://www.thinkparallax.com/field-manuals).

Sustainability is not a one-person job.  It takes a dedicated, cross-functional sustainability committee to guide an organization toward sustainable and socially responsible decisions. Forming an ESG committee isn't just a choice; it's a strategic imperative that creates accountability, distributes responsibility, improves communications, builds buy-in, and ensures alignment with reporting frameworks and the expectations of ESG raters and rankers for governance.

We’ve put together a step-by-step process for getting started on your ESG committee:

**Why create an ESG committee?**

An ESG committee ensures that ESG risks, opportunities, and priorities are properly managed. The committee will:

- Create and execute an **sustainability**** strategy**
- Ensure proper management and oversight of **ESG risks and opportunities **
- Elevate ESG issues to engage **senior management and board of directors**
- Lead **ESG reporting** efforts
- Measure ESG metrics to hold the organization **accountable for progress **
- Communicate ESG to **inform internal and external stakeholders**

**Who is on an ESG committee? **

An ESG committee is a cross-functional team that includes director-level employees. The exact roles and titles of committee members will vary across organizations, but should include representatives from: 

- **Sustainability / Environment:** Specialist who will collect and manage data around emissions, waste, water, or energy. *Note: *for companies early on in their sustainability journey, this may not be a dedicated functional area. Personnel working in Operations may be tasked with these efforts and should be included in the ESG committee
- **Human Resources:** Colleague who is involved with setting goals and gathering metrics focused on DEI, employee engagement, recruitment, or employee wellbeing
- **Community Relations:** Employee working in community engagement, corporate giving, or social impact who will have expertise in community relations and engagement 
- **Finance / Accounting:** Professional who works in data analytics, accounting, or even finance, who has insight into data management and disclosure at the organization
- **Communications / Marketing:** Expert in communicating the brand story around ESG
- **Legal / Compliance / Risk:** Colleague who is familiar with regulation and reporting 

**Who leads and manages an ESG committee? **

The committee should be organized to **report to a senior executive sponsor**,** **responsible for leading the committee.  Day-to-day management of the committee is coordinated by a director-level employee. 

The ESG committee should report to executive leadership and to the Board. **Board briefings on ESG should happen annually**, at a minimum, and build to quarterly briefings on ESG strategy, risks, opportunities, and progress. 

**How often should an ESG committee meet? **

The committee members should **meet quarterly**, at a minimum, and likely more frequently during the development of ESG strategy or when gathering information for an annual ESG report.

Have more questions? Get in [contact with us](mailto:info@thinkparallax.com), or [download our field guides](https://www.thinkparallax.com/field-manuals) for more insights.

[View full post](https://blog.thinkparallax.com/getting-started-on-your-esg-committee)

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