Key topics
Sustainability and ESG efforts
Disability inclusion is increasingly gaining importance in corporate sustainability practices, including in Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) efforts and reporting. Further, investors are increasingly considering non-financial factors and sustainability considerations - also within ESG frameworks - in their decision-making processes.
Putting the I in ESG: Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities as Strategic Advantage of Sustainability Practices for Corporates and Investors
The ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) published Putting the I in ESG: Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Sustainability Practices as Strategic Advantage for Corporates and Investors. This guide provides a framework for defining and reporting on corporate practices that make disability inclusion efforts more comprehensive. For each of the ten areas of this framework, between two and eight Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and existing corporate good practices are provided.
The ILO GBDN launched in 2024 the “Business Leaders’ Pledge on Disability-Inclusive Sustainability Practices”, which also states “As responsible corporate leaders, we recognize the significant business and social value of fostering inclusive environments that empower people with disabilities as employees, customers, and as business partners. In alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Pact for the Future as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we commit to promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities through the perspective of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and other sustainability frameworks.”
The Pledge constitutes a public commitment by ILO GBDN company members to do even better and aspire to greater disability inclusion within their sustainability efforts. It remains open for signature and has been signed so far by
- Angela Beatty, Chief Leadership & Human Resources Officer, Accenture
- Frédéric de Courtois, Deputy CEO, AXA
- Aiman Ezzat, CEO, Capgemini
- Sabine Bonnard, Group Chief HR Officer, Egis
- Mireia Gimeno, Global Culture and Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Inditex
- Margaret Johnston-Clarke, Global Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, L'Oréal
- Christel Heydemann, CEO, Orange
- Carmen Muñoz Pérez, Executive Managing Director of People and Organization, Repsol
- Suzanne DiBianca, Executive Vice President & Chief Impact Officer, Salesforce
- Audrey Duval, Executive Vice President Corporate Affairs, Sanofi
Reporting Inclusion Disability in European Sustainability Standards
This session at the ILO Global Business and Disability Network's (GBDN) 1st Regional Conference for Europe "Unlocking Potential: Disability Inclusion in Business" on 17 February 2026 at the United Nations Office at Vienna, explored how disability inclusion can and should be embedded in ESRS-aligned reporting. Panellists will discuss practical approaches for data collection, stakeholder engagement, and putting the “I” in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and other sustainability frameworks.
Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Sustainability Practices
This Zero Project Conference 2025 Forum by the ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) explores how companies, investors and standard setters can effectively put the "I" - that stands for Inclusion - in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and other sustainability frameworks. The move by investors and companies to incorporate disability inclusion into the ESG ecosystem is still in its early stages. Clearer direction on the "why" and "how" to integrate disability inclusion into their ESG and other sustainability strategies is essential for advancing these efforts and ensuring that disability inclusion becomes a meaningful part of ESG approaches and responsible business conduct.
The session Putting the I in ESG: Disability Inclusion as strategic advantage of sustainability efforts at the ILO GBDN's 11th global conference "From Margin to Mainstream: Disability in Business" on 27th and 28th November 2024 discussed why and how companies, investors and sustainability standard setters should "put the I in ESG" and promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in sustainability practices.
Disability Disclosure Under the CSRD: Benchmarking the First Wave of Sustainability Reports
“Disability Disclosure Under the CSRD: Benchmarking the First Wave of Sustainability Reports” by Disability Hub Europe is a comprehensive analysis of how companies are already integrating disability inclusion into their sustainability disclosures under the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).
Advancing Social Inclusion and Sustainability Reporting with a Focus on Persons with Disabilities
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Fundación ONCE (through Disability Hub Europe) hosted the webinar "Just Transition in Action: Advancing Social Inclusion and Sustainability Reporting with a Focus on Persons with Disabilities", on 9 June 2026, to bring together experts, including from the ILO Global Business and Disability Network, to exchange on the increasingly strong case for integrating social goals in sustainability strategies.