What if sustainability started within the company? The E-ESG model puts employees at the center.

In recent years, the concept of sustainability has become a hallmark for many companies seeking to align themselves with the social, environmental, and ethical demands of the 21st century. Under the umbrella of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), reports, strategies, and rankings assessing how "responsible" companies are have proliferated. But there is something that, until now, many have overlooked:

This is the idea behind the E-ESG model , a proposal born from the collaboration between Esade's Leadership and Sustainability Chair and companies such as Alsea, Bonpreu, and Randstad. Its purpose? To reinforce the "E" in employees in corporate sustainability strategies. A necessary evolution in times where well-being, equity, and a sense of belonging in the workplace are no longer luxuries, but essential conditions for a company consistent with its purpose.

Beyond traditional CSR

For decades, corporate social responsibility has sought to respond to external demands: reducing emissions, supporting social causes, promoting transparency. However, many organizations neglected the most immediate dimension of their impact: the work lives of their employees . The E-ESG model builds precisely on this shortcoming to propose a structural correction: explicitly incorporating the sustainability of human talent as a basic pillar of any ESG strategy.

This doesn't mean replacing traditional metrics, but rather enriching them: integrating indicators that evaluate professional development, mental health, work-life balance, inclusion, and the active participation of employees in the corporate culture.

The missing E

The E-ESG model isn't just an ethical demand. It's also a smart strategy. In an increasingly competitive labor market, with generations prioritizing life balance and purpose, companies that know how to take care of their people have a structural advantage . They have a better work environment, greater talent retention, more innovation... and a reputation consistent with the values they claim to uphold.

Furthermore, committing to internal sustainability is not a mere symbolic gesture. It requires commitment, active policies, and a shift in mindset. Therefore, the E-ESG model has been developed as a practical tool: a set of best practices, indicators, and assessment frameworks to facilitate its practical implementation in companies.

A model under construction (and in community)

To ensure that this proposal does not remain on paper, a community of practice has been created around the model, open to companies, professionals, and research centers. This space seeks to foster the exchange of experiences, collective learning, and the development of solutions that allow the approach to be adapted to different sectors, sizes, and organizational realities.

One of the project's first fruits was the report published in February 2025, which offers an initial overview of the model and explores the challenges and opportunities of integrating employee sustainability into business management.

Change the center of gravity

The E-ESG model fundamentally proposes a shift in the center of gravity of companies. It's not just about complying with regulations or improving sustainability indicators for investors. It's about understanding that an organization isn't sustainable if its human relationships, internal dynamics, and working conditions aren't sustainable.

Perhaps this is the natural evolution of corporate sustainability: moving from the facade to the foundation , from metrics to people, from rhetoric to real care. Because only when a company is good to its people can it aspire to be good to the planet, to society, and to itself.