As sustainability expectations continue to evolve, businesses are no longer expected only to demonstrate social commitments, but also to provide evidence of meaningful and measurable impact on workers, communities, consumers, and stakeholders across the value chain. Yet, the social dimension of ESG remains fragmented, difficult to measure, and often limited to reporting activities rather than outcomes.
As part of IBCSD’s People Program, the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) program aims to support businesses in understanding, measuring, and managing social impacts through a more systematic and evidence-based approach. S-LCA is a methodology that assesses social impacts across the life cycle of products and services—from workers and local communities to value chain actors and consumers—helping companies identify social hotspots, strengthen decision-making, and enhance sustainability accountability.
The program encourages companies to move beyond compliance-driven approaches toward more credible and outcome-oriented social impact measurement, aligned with evolving ESG expectations, Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD), global supply chain standards, and sustainability reporting requirements. Through knowledge sharing, capacity building, and practical implementation pathways, the initiative seeks to help businesses build long-term resilience while contributing to more inclusive and measurable social outcomes.
