Developing an environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy can be a daunting task, especially with how many different certification programs and auditing metrics are bandied about these days.

Abe Anteby, president and CEO of Threadfast Apparel, spoke about crafting an ESG strategy at ASI Chicago.

There’s a temptation to abandon the task entirely because you don’t have a handle on every aspect of sustainability and social responsibility. But, said Abe Anteby, president and CEO of Threadfast Apparel (asi/91163), promo suppliers and distributors don’t have to have an all-or-nothing approach when it comes to ESG.

“It’s not black or white; it’s not either/or,” Anteby said during a Power Session on July 26 at ASI Chicago. When it comes to sustainability, he added, “We’ll never truly reach a finish line. It’s not about the end. It’s about the journey.”

During the session, Anteby broke down the environmental, social and governance aspects of running a business – and how promo pros can chart their own path in this complex field.

When it comes to the environmental side of ESG, it’s worth noting that “every business is affecting the environment,” and it’s important to figure out ways to become more responsible stewards of the earth and lower the impact you’re having.

“The environmental issues hit me in the face on a trip I took to Haiti,” Anteby said. “I couldn’t get over what I was seeing.” All along the beach, he added, there were endless piles of trash, most of it plastic.

The social side of ESG is about more than just worker safety and humane working conditions. Things like diversity and social justice also come into play, Anteby said. In addition, it’s vital to build community and morale within your company. Anteby shared a story about how his daughter recently had internships at Google and a cosmetics company, and both corporations offered elaborate and well-thought-out incentives and support for workers.

“It’s not hard,” he said of building community within a company. However, “it requires creative thinking.”

On the governance side, Anteby noted that companies are “accountable today more than ever before.”

Rather than be reactionary to regulations that have already passed, Anteby suggested companies get a handle on the kinds of laws and bans coming down the pike and “get ahead of the curve.”

He recommended asking yourself: “What’s happening in my specific industry? Where is the industry going, and how can I get ahead of that?”

Another question to consider when crafting your company’s ESG strategy is what you can afford.

“Everybody wants to be green, but they don’t want to pay more for it,” Anteby said. There’s evidence that such attitudes are changing, but there’s still the question of how much more a client is willing to pay for greener product.”

One thing to consider is that many ESG efforts will actually save a company money in the long run. For instance, if you put infrastructure and protocols in place to use less energy, that means you’ll also be paying for less energy, Anteby said.

In Threadfast’s case, the firm focuses its ESG efforts on Better Cotton, a worldwide cotton certifier and sustainability initiative; Global Recycled Standard to certify the recycled polyester it uses in apparel; and One Tree Planted – the supplier has a tree planted for every case of T-shirts it sells. “That’s where we decided to put our chips down when it comes to ESG,” Anteby said.

Promo businesses may choose different certifications based on the type of products they create or sell and things that are most important to them. The important thing, Anteby advised, is to take a strategic and thoughtful approach to find what works best, rather than get discouraged by trying to be everything for everyone.

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