The shift that matters: Why social sustainability is a business imperative

That was the focus of a recent CoreNet Global webinar facilitated by CoreNet and hosted by ISS. Moderated by Shani Wilson, Social Value Project Manager at ISS Global, the session featured Margot Slattery, Social Value and Inclusion Ambassador at ISS Global, Gabriela Palma Ho, Head of Global Expansion at Social Value Portal, and Chely Wright, Senior Vice President, CSR and New Market Growth at ISS North America.

The discussion opened with a useful clarification from Margot Slattery: depending on the market or organisation, leaders may hear terms such as social value, social impact or social sustainability. ISS uses “social sustainability” because it connects this agenda to broader sustainability goals, with people, communities and long-term business resilience at its core. The terminology may vary, but the underlying shift is consistent.

“Whatever language we use, we’re largely talking about the same shift: moving from good intentions and isolated initiatives to measurable, embedded, strategic actions.”
Margot Slattery, Social Value and Inclusion Ambassador, ISS Global

For CRE and FM leaders looking to make that shift in practice, the webinar highlighted three lessons.

Three lessons for CRE leaders

1. Start with outcomes, not activities

Many organisations already support employees, local communities or supply chains through volunteering, donations, community programmes or inclusive hiring. The issue is that activity alone does not prove impact.

A stronger starting point is to define the outcome you want to create. That might be better access to decent work, improved skills, stronger local supply chains, greater wellbeing, more inclusive employment or increased community resilience. The key question is: what should change for people, communities or suppliers as a result of this decision, contract or workplace strategy?

This helps social sustainability move from a collection of initiatives to a business-relevant approach that can be understood, funded and improved over time.

2. Build social sustainability into everyday decisions

Social sustainability becomes more effective when it is embedded into the operating model. It needs to shape procurement, workforce planning, supplier partnerships, facilities contracts, workplace experience and community engagement.

Chely Wright added an operational perspective from ISS North America, highlighting how fair pay, career development and inclusive workforce practices can be embedded into day-to-day service delivery. For FM leaders, this is particularly relevant because workplace experience depends heavily on the people delivering services every day.

“When we take care of our people, our people take care of our customers.”
Chely Wright, Senior Vice President, CSR and New Market Growth, ISS North America

For CRE leaders, this changes the conversation with service partners. Beyond cost, safety and service delivery, organisations should ask how partners can help strengthen workforce resilience, unlock local value, create inclusive opportunities and support community priorities.

3. Measure what matters

Gabriela Palma Ho from Social Value Portal focused on one of the biggest barriers for organisations: how to measure social sustainability in a credible and comparable way.

Through frameworks such as the Global TOM System, which stands for Themes, Outcomes and Measures, organisations can capture social value across areas such as work, economy, community and planet. This includes outcomes linked to local employment, apprenticeships, volunteering, local supplier spend, inclusive recruitment and environmental action.

“The reason we monetise social value is to have a universal unit of measurement that can be used to compare different initiatives to each other.”
Gabriela Palma Ho, Head of Global Expansion, Social Value Portal

For CRE leaders, the value of this approach goes beyond the number itself. It gives organisations a way to compare initiatives, identify gaps and make better investment decisions across sites, contracts and communities. In the built environment, where social value can be created across the full asset lifecycle, from planning and design to procurement, construction, handover and in-use operations, measurement helps leaders understand what works, where further value can be created and how impact can be evidenced with confidence.

Where to start

The clearest advice from the webinar was simple: start with intention. Social sustainability does not need to begin as a global programme. It can start with one site, one contract, one supplier conversation, one community need or one workforce challenge.

For CRE and FM leaders looking to take action, three steps can create momentum:

1. Define the outcome you want to create, such as skills, employment, wellbeing, inclusive opportunity, local procurement or community resilience.
2. Bring the right stakeholders together, including real estate, FM, procurement, HR, finance, suppliers and local community partners.
3. Measure from the start, combining data with the human story behind the numbers so progress can be understood, improved and trusted.

The next step for CRE and FM leaders is to identify where social value can be built into decisions already being made, from an upcoming procurement process to a workplace transition, supplier review or community partnership. Starting small is enough, provided the intended outcome is clear and the impact is measured from the beginning.

Want to explore the discussion in more detail?

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How ISS is advancing social sustainability

At ISS, social sustainability is focused on creating measurable value for people, communities and the wider economy. This includes working with policymakers, customers and suppliers to advance living wages across the industry, investing in recognised qualifications for Placemakers and partnering with Social Value Portal to evidence impact more consistently across markets. By embedding social sustainability into employment, procurement, community engagement and measurement, ISS is working to turn ambition into practical action.

120,000+ Recognised qualifications

Delivered for placemakers and their family members by the end of 2025 

350,000  Recognised qualifications

Targeted by 2030, supporting skills development and long-term opportunity 

14 countries

Already paying above the living wage, with remaining markets addressing identified gaps.