The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) develops a wide range of global standards outlining guidelines and general practices for various areas of business management. These standards which often end with a “1,” are intended to be used by businesses for certification purposes meaning that they go through a multistep process of improving their management practices to confirm they have the elements in place required by the standard and then undergo certification audits by accredited third-party organizations. Other ISO standards that do not end in a “1” can be used for guidance purposes often in conjunction with a major standard. Two relevant ISO standards in the EHS and ESG worlds are ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. ISO 14001 is the international standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) while ISO 45001 is the international standard for Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) management systems. Both standards have a few traits that make them useful as roadmaps for navigating the pathway from EHS to ESG. For instance they task an organization with looking at the full context of their operations to determine factors that can affect their environmental or OH&S performance. ISO 45001 additionally stresses the importance of “consultation and participation” of all workers not just managerial-level employees. These are important preparations for identifying and engaging stakeholders. Both standards also stress the importance of identifying the key aspects and impacts of your operations for safety and environmental performance which dovetails nicely with and can help shape the completion of an ESG materiality assessment. Finally 14001 and 45001 provide guidance on how organizations can develop good objectives with specific numerical targets based on their assessment of aspects and impacts which is where a sound ESG strategy development process needs to start. In all these ways taking a broad view of organizational context development of efficient processes and building engagement with stakeholders these ISO standards can help an organization advance further in its path to ESG maturity. It is important to note that earning an ISO certificate is not a guarantee that an organization has permanently conquered every obstacle and has sustainable processes for maintaining its programs. Many organizations unfortunately develop a “one and done” mindset when it comes to pursuing certifications. Once they get the certificate they frame it nail it to the wall and then let their systems erode until it’s coming time for a surveillance audit. The ISO standards themselves by contrast highlight the importance of a continual improvement process and the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle which models a feedback loop of ongoing reassessment of management system components followed by making the necessary revisions. If an organization not only goes through the process of using 14001 and/or 45001 to achieve certifications but sees its management systems as living evolving things it will probably have more success in its own ESG journey. It’s important to remember that the process of achieving ESG maturity is ongoing and requires continuous improvement and adaptation.