ESG Research and Insights

Make impact with next-level knowledge and research

ESG is a young and fast-moving field. It has evolved from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and puts the creation of societal value by organisations at the centre. Where CSR was something that organisations ‘added on’, ESG now plays a key role in primary business activities and finance. What are the implications? What does government policy on ESG mean for individual organisations? And vice versa what do organisations’ choices tell us about the effectiveness of policies?

At Empact, we believe it is important to contribute to the development of our beautiful new field. That is why we regularly share our vision and insights on our website and why clients can come to us to commission thorough ESG research and acquire knowledge in the form of training courses, education and expert articles.

ESG research (ESG onderzoek)

We carry out various types of research for our clients on environmental, social and governance topics. Among others, you can come to us for the following five types of research:

Market research looks at ESG developments within a sector. We identify the leaders and position your organisation. We look to the future and work with scenarios. We make actionable recommendations. Many of these recommendations are aimed at seizing opportunities. This research is completely confidential.

Who are our stakeholders? How important are they to our business? What do they think? How do we maintain contact with them? And what does the future hold? These questions are crucial for any organisation that wants to engage with its stakeholders. We help answer these questions through stakeholder research. For large international value chains, we work with partners such as &Wider and Bureau Hofkes, who are capable of reaching large groups of people. From stakeholder mapping and engagement to ongoing stakeholder strategy: Empact will find the answers for you.

Sometimes organisations are caught off guard by new laws and regulations. And sometimes, the opposite is true: organisations want to look ahead and better understand what is coming their way. In 2023, for example, Empact sat down with Europarliamentarian Lara Wolters to discuss the CSDDD. An example of Empact’s impact research is ‘The state of ESG in 2022’, Empact’s survey of 100 medium and large organisations on their level of ESG implementation. We can also conduct impact research for your organisation.

Especially in government organisations or multi-stakeholder collaborations, it is also important to look back. Did a particular intervention have the impact it was intended to have? What went well? And what could be improved? An evaluation study can be academic or practical. It depends on the purpose of the research. An example of an Empact evaluation study is the RBC Policy Evaluation we conducted for the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Another example is the evaluation of the transition to a circular airport conducted by Empact’s Anne Rademaker.

Exploratory research is an umbrella term for many different types of research, all focussed on creating a better understanding of a chosen topic or aspect. For a customer, for example, we mapped the ESG developments relevant to their existing business model. We identified risks and opportunities. And we explored the choices and directions for the organisation. As a result, we provided a better picture of the existing and possible future organisation.

The research methods Empact uses depend on the situation. Our starting point is always the facts and figures already available. Sometimes this is sufficient to gain insight, but other times additional quantitative and/or qualitative research is required.

For example, in a stakeholder survey, a survey will be an appropriate method to gain a broad understanding of what a stakeholder cares about. But sometimes additional stakeholder dialogues are necessary to add depth and understanding. When it comes to desk research, case studies or explanatory research, our methods are academically validated. Our founder, Martin de Jong, is affiliated with the University of Amsterdam.

ESG insights: sharing knowledge

Sharing what we know about ESG is second nature to us. We believe it is important for as many people as possible to understand what ESG is, what it can do and how to put it into practice. Unfortunately, many people have an unclear picture of ESG. It starts with the term: ESG. What is it? What does it mean? Why don’t we use the terms impact, sustainability, sustainability, CSR, RBC, CSV or well-being? And how do you get out of the abstraction and work concretely towards a truly impactful organisation? 

By educating and sharing our knowledge, we contribute to a better understanding of our field. We do this in a number of ways, including:

Since the idea arose for an ESG Academy at university level, Empact has been involved. A number of Empact’s consultants teach at the University of Amsterdam and Empact’s Martin de Jong is coordinator of the course: ESG Advanced Environment. 

Empact also provides various master classes, both on behalf of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and for clients such as the Audit authority (ADR) of the Ministry of Finance and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). Many training courses are in-house and have the character of a workshop: working interactively on the basis of content and focusing on a joint output. Empact often has the role of expert, but also as facilitator.

Empact regularly publishes articles on the website Duurzaam Ondernemen. This is how we share our insights and visions with a wider audience. And, of course, the Empact website is an important source of further knowledge. Empact also has a partnership with the publisher Sdu. For Sdu, Empact writes guides that professionals can use to further implement ESG in their organisations. Many ESG consulting firms also use our guides and related tools and templates. This is something we are proud of. For more information on the Sdu platform, see also here.

A special form of knowledge sharing – or rather knowledge creation – is Empact’s collaboration with the Delft-based NEN Institute. This non-profit organisation manages the ISO standards for the Netherlands and develops the international ISO standards together with other countries. For Empact, ISO is synonymous with quality assurance, something we consider very important. Empact is involved in:

  • Environmental committee ISO14001
  • Circular economy committee ISO 59004

Our role is that of committee member and we are involved in drafting the ISO standards. In this, we contribute our expertise and try to take the level of ESG another step further.

Also make impact with Empact?

Are you interested in the knowledge and insights Empact can bring to your organisation? Please contact us without any obligation. We would like to work with you to identify the type of ESG research or knowledge sharing that best suits your organisation, so that together we can make an impact.

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Our customers

“The Empact team has been involved with CBS as sustainability consultants for several years, they know the organisation well and are very appreciated within CBS for its pleasant and professional contact.”
Martin van AdrichemCBS
“Without Empact, the knowledge products and workflow would not have been as good. The cooperation between Sdu and Empact will hopefully continue for a very long time, because Empact takes our products and services to a high level.”
Janine HeemskerkSDU
“We really started looking for a partner that goes beyond reporting and compliance. Empact quickly came into the picture as the best option. Not only because of their expertise in the CSRD and developing and integrating an ESG strategy, but also because they came across as very knowledgeable and driven. You can see in every aspect that we both want to set the tone, and that makes for a nice cooperation.”
Freek HeurkensOTTO Work Force
"Empact is strong in translating complexity into practice-oriented application. It is an art to make it simple and they know the language of reporting like no other. We can put that to good use to achieve our ambitions."
Remco ImmersCBS
"It is very nice that Empact is a reliable partner, they deliver on time and above expectations. They not only deliver what we have requested, but also think along with us and make connections between the different products."
Leonoor de KruifSDU
"It can sometimes be difficult to make decisions and then you risk getting stuck, but at those moments Empact knows how to move flexibly or give a push based on their expertise, so that we keep up to speed."
Peter BoumanOTTO Work Force

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