What is an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Coordinator, and why does it matter at William Hackett?

You might have noticed a growing focus on sustainability, responsibility and transparency across many industries — and William Hackett is no exception. As expectations around environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices continue to rise, the role of an ESG Coordinator has become an important part of how we operate and plan for the future ensuring we not only understand our impacts but take meaningful action to improve them.

What is ESG and Why It Matters?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. In simple terms, it’s about how a business looks after the environment, supports its people and communities, and ensures it’s run responsibly and ethically.

While William Hackett has always placed a strong emphasis on quality, safety and doing business responsibly, ESG helps bring all this together in a clearer and more structured way. Sustainability is no longer a nice to have, it’s now a key part of how businesses are expected to operate. Customers, suppliers, investors and employees increasingly want to understand how products are made, where materials come from, and what’s being done to reduce environmental impact and improve social responsibility. Creating a dedicated ESG role reflects this shift and ensures these expectations are met in a consistent, transparent and meaningful way.

Why This Role Didn’t Exist Before

Before we had the ESG Coordinator role, sustainability responsibilities were spread across different parts of the business. As ESG has become more important for things like risk management, supply chain expectations and our reputation, the need for a more central, cross-functional role became clear. The ESG Coordinator helps keep everything connected and makes sure ESG is part of how we plan and make decisions.

So, What Does an ESG Coordinator Actually Do?

The role involves supporting and advancing the William Hackett ESG strategy. This includes:

  • Gathering, organising and validating ESG-related data, including environmental data such as carbon emissions, energy use; social data like health & safety metrics, training and wellbeing indicators; and governance information such as policies and compliance records all to support internal tracking and external reporting.
  • Developing, implementing, and maintaining plans to ensure sustainability initiatives are effectively applied across the business, such as reducing energy use, improving waste management, or supporting more responsible sourcing.
  • Working closely with teams across the business — operations, HR, and supply chain — to embed ESG initiatives throughout the organisation.
  • Supporting the development, review and improvement of ESG policies and procedures such as ethical sourcing, Environment & Sustainability policy, to reflect best practice and identify areas for improvement.
  • Monitoring progress and tracking performance against ESG goals, such as carbon reduction targets produce clear reporting to ensure ESG performance is transparent and easily understood.
  • Communicating progress internally via updates, briefings and shared resources to encourage employee participation and externally via the company website or ESG report to build trust and reputation.
  • Engaging with external stakeholders, including suppliers, customers, reporting bodies and industry contacts to respond to ESG-related requests, including customer questionnaires, supplier declarations and sustainability data requests, and to demonstrate clear, measurable progress.
  • Staying up to date with evolving regulations and industry standards (such as environmental reporting, product compliance) and regularly reviewing how the business operates to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with evolving sustainability standards.

It’s a collaborative role that touches many areas of the business.

The Benefits of Having an ESG Coordinator

Having a dedicated ESG Coordinator brings several key benefits:

  • Clear ownership and accountability – A central point of coordination ensures ESG responsibilities are clearly defined, making progress easier to track and report.
  • Improved visibility and transparency – Structured data collection and reporting give a clear picture of ESG performance and highlight areas for improvement, building trust with customers, investors, and partners.
  • Stronger strategic alignment across teams – ESG goals are integrated across teams and into long-term business planning, risk management, and operational decisions rather than acting as standalone initiatives.
  • Better operational efficiency – Coordinating ESG initiatives across departments helps the organisation work more consistently, uncovering opportunities for improvements such as energy efficiency, resource optimisation, and employee wellbeing.
  • Future-focused business practices – Embedding ESG into the company culture and operations prepares William Hackett to meet evolving regulations, customer expectations, and market trends, helping the business stay ahead.

Why This Role Adds Value to William Hackett

The ESG Coordinator role isn’t about ticking boxes, it’s about supporting long-term, sustainable success. By embedding ESG principles into how the business operates, the role helps turn sustainability goals into real, practical results across the business supporting William Hackett’s commitment to doing business responsibly, now and into the future.

Moving forward, we will continue to keep you updated on how William Hackett is progressing with its ESG agenda, sharing our achievements, initiatives, and the steps we are taking to operate more sustainably and responsibly. By keeping ESG front and centre, William Hackett aims to operate more responsibly, build trust with our customers and partners, and prepare for a sustainable and successful future.