--- sourceDocument: Australia Operational Sustainability Management (formerly Environmental, Social, and Governance) sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/environmental-social-governance Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Operational Sustainability Management (formerly Environmental, Social, and Governance) ft:clusterId : - esgv bundleId : - esgv workflow : - Technology --- # Explore # Exploring Operational Sustainability Management (formerly ESG Management) {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Australia * * Updated March 12, 2026 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Exploring Operational Sustainability Management (formerly ESG Management) The ServiceNow® Operational Sustainability Management application centralizes the management of sustainability commitments and programs. It addresses common challenges such as lack of visibility and difficulty tracking progress in sustainability initiatives. By using this application, organizations can enhance transparency, comply with regulations, improve brand reputation, attract investors, and promote ethical corporate governance. Show full answer Show less ## Operational Sustainability Management Workflow * **Document Material Topics:** Identify and track key sustainability topics like carbon emissions. * **Establish Goals:** Set measurable sustainability goals and milestones to guide progress. * **Create Targets:** Define specific targets to monitor performance against goals. * **Associate Entities with Goals:** Link responsible organizational units or entities to track goal progress. * **Define Metrics:** Develop metrics to measure performance and progress toward goals and targets. * **Add Sources to Targets:** Optionally associate metrics as data sources for targets. * **Collect Data:** Input metric data manually or automate data collection according to metric type. * **Generate Disclosures:** Create and review sustainability disclosures for reporting and investor communication, with integration options for Microsoft 365. ## Key Features and Benefits * **Operational Sustainability Workspace:** Provides an interactive dashboard tailored for ESG program managers and disclosure managers to manage activities and monitor tasks. * **Material Topic Creation:** Enables defining sustainability initiatives to focus efforts effectively. * **Goal and Target Management:** Tools to establish and track sustainability objectives and milestones. * **Metrics Management:** Integration with GRC metrics to collect and report performance data. * **Disclosure Management:** Facilitates producing narratives and reports to inform investors and stakeholders. * **Sustainable IT Application:** Monitors emissions and energy consumption from IT assets, including end-of-life disposal. * **Scope 3 Dashboard:** Tracks indirect emissions across the value chain to support regulatory compliance. * **Unified Content Management:** Centralizes sustainability frameworks, citations, metrics, and emission factors for streamlined adoption. * **Emission Factor Library:** Provides essential data for accurate emissions calculations. * **Forecasting and Planning:** Tools to simulate scenarios, visualize outcomes, and enhance sustainability planning. ## User Roles and Interfaces The application supports various roles including ESG administrators, program managers, metrics managers, data owners, and disclosure managers. The Operational Sustainability Workspace offers role-specific views such as the Home page with quick actions and the My Tasks page to monitor individual and team assignments efficiently. ## Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers ServiceNow customers can leverage this application to centralize and streamline their sustainability programs, ensuring measurable progress and compliance with evolving regulations. The integrated metrics, reporting, and disclosure features enable transparent communication with stakeholders and support informed decision-making. The inclusion of IT sustainability and Scope 3 emissions tracking further extends operational coverage, making the solution comprehensive for enterprise sustainability management. The ServiceNow® Operational Sustainability Management application helps you to manage your sustainability commitments. ## Operational Sustainability Management overview {#esg-new-explore__section_ovb_21k_zyb} While most organizations engage in sustainability initiatives, many lack a central tool to manage their operational sustainability programs. Without a centralized system, organizations lack visibility into sustainability efforts and struggle to track progress. The Operational Sustainability Management application addresses these challenges by enabling companies to manage their sustainability programs and communicate their goals and progress. The business benefits of sustainability reporting using the Operational Sustainability Management application are as follows: * Improves your brand reputation. * Creates a competitive advantage. * Attracts investors and more capital. * Enables you to comply with regulatory requirements. * Establishes strong corporate governance through ethical, transparent, and secure business practices. * Improves corporate reputation. * Improves customer confidence. * Promotes transparency about the risks and opportunities. {#esg-new-explore__ul_vzn_4qm_1rb} ## Operational Sustainability Management workflow {#esg-new-explore__section_pvb_21k_zyb} The following diagram shows the workflow of Operational Sustainability Management for each user role. Figure 1. Workflow of setting up and using the Operational Sustainability Management application Document material topics : Determine the material topics you'd like to track, such as managing carbon emissions. See [Create material topics](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/3ZDcljuNlUO9Z_zRQq9rSw "Create material topics for your organization so that you can identify the areas where you want to make an operational sustainability impact.") to get started and review [Material topic workflow and states](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/HXxaDf9XFbj7MFVaK2DfTw "Material topics are the point of origin for sustainability initiatives. A material topic must be identified before it can be tracked and measured for success. The workflow states for a material topic depend on how the material topic was created.") for more details. Establish goals : Goals are the outcomes you want to achieve, and targets are specific, measurable milestones that help you reach the goals. The Create an Operational Sustainability Management goal page explains how to enter your goals and includes links to useful information like how goal progress is calculated. See [Create an Operational Sustainability Management (formerly ESG Management) goal](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/~ifSNPhjDPpMzQsk7~keSA "Establish operational sustainability goals to track your progress toward your chosen material topics.") for details. Create targets : A target shows you how well you are doing against your goal. The [Create an Operational Sustainability Management (formerly ESG Management) target](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/aetZ~J3JRlx6B1h6GLkCbw "Create an operational sustainability target to help track the progress toward your operational sustainability goal.") page shows you how to do it. Associate entities with goals : Associate the entities that must be tracked for the goals and subgoals. This association is created for tracking purposes. Entities that are associated with the goal are responsible for tracking the goal. See [Associate entities to goals](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/6N9ede4qDOFmk7_TNaeF_A "After you create the goals, you must associate those entities, which you want to track, to the goals.") for more details. Define metrics : Create metric definitions and metrics to measure performance and how the organization is progressing toward its goals and targets. To gain an in-depth understanding of what are metrics and how they're useful in Operational Sustainability Management, refer to [Exploring GRC: Metrics](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/EyZECECtjUV96MIWea4LHg "A metric is used to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of your organizational processes. A metric or a combination of metrics can provide an insight into a system, component, or process. The GRC: Metrics application enables other applications to assess, compare, and track the performance of the processes.") Add metrics to targets : Optionally, after you create a target, you can add a source for the target. The source can be a metric or a metric definition that contributes to the target. See [Add a source for a target](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/LuAZjgViGubesnl_PWN4Vw "After you create a target, you must add a source for the target. The source can be a metric or a metric definition that contributes to the parent target.") for more details. Provide data for manual metrics or automatically collect data for automated metrics : Collect data for metrics either manually or automatically. Data must be provided manually for manual metrics and is automatically collected at the scheduled time for automated metrics. See [Provide data for a metric data task](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/OG~ujm42gNmpj_ot3C~Srw "Use the metric data task to provide data for a manual metric. Metric data helps you analyze your progress toward your goals.") for more details. Generate disclosures : The disclosure is sent for review to the ESG program manager and after approval, it can be downloaded to a spreadsheet for easier reporting. Using the Microsoft 365 for ServiceNow Reporting, you can create disclosures in a Microsoft Word document. See [Integrating Microsoft 365 with ServiceNow reporting](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/SEMTTWHAJkq9pYVDDf3L~g "The Microsoft 365 for ServiceNow Reporting (sn_esg_msoff_intg) integration provides disclosure reporting capabilities to ESG reporting disclosure managers to seamlessly report ServiceNow Operational Sustainability Management system data, list reports, charts, pivot, and multi pivot reports using Microsoft Word.") to get started and review [Disclosures in Operational Sustainability Management (formerly ESG Management)](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/G_h7wZ~af5dzCuzPU05Rzg "An Operational Sustainability Management disclosure refers to the practice of companies and organizations providing information and reports on their operational sustainability performance. These disclosures are designed to offer insights into how a company manages and addresses various sustainability-related issues. Users with the sn_esg.reporting_disclosure_manager role are responsible to manage the disclosure reports.") for details. ## Operational Sustainability Management benefits {#esg-new-explore__section_svb_21k_zyb} {#esg-new-explore__table_tvb_21k_zyb__entry__3} | Benefit | Feature | Users | |-|-|-| | Manage your operational sustainability activities from the interactive dashboard in the Home page. | [Operational Sustainability Workspace (formerly ESG Workspace)](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/VyXVehhGYBhJByKdh56uUA "The Operational Sustainability Workspace is a simplified user interface designed for different users to perform their respective tasks. The home page of the Operational Sustainability Workspace displays various quick actions and reports.") | ESG program manager, disclosure manager. | | Monitor your individual and team tasks from a single dashboard in the My tasks view. | [My tasks page view](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/ep~V9tdSs91JH93LjgJ6tA "My tasks page displays a single-pane view of your pending tasks, and the tasks assigned to your user group.") | ESG program manager | | Create material topics to determine your sustainability initiatives | [Create a material topic](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/3ZDcljuNlUO9Z_zRQq9rSw "Create material topics for your organization so that you can identify the areas where you want to make an operational sustainability impact.") | ESG program manager | | Establish operational sustainability goals to track your progress toward your chosen material topics. | [Create an Operational Sustainability Management (formerly ESG Management) goal](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/~ifSNPhjDPpMzQsk7~keSA "Establish operational sustainability goals to track your progress toward your chosen material topics.") | ESG program manager | | Create a sustainability target to help track the progress towards your sustainability goal. | [Create an Operational Sustainability Management (formerly ESG Management) target](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/aetZ~J3JRlx6B1h6GLkCbw "Create an operational sustainability target to help track the progress toward your operational sustainability goal.") | ESG program manager | | Use GRC: Metrics to track goals and targets, collect data, and report data. | [Exploring GRC: Metrics](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/EyZECECtjUV96MIWea4LHg "A metric is used to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of your organizational processes. A metric or a combination of metrics can provide an insight into a system, component, or process. The GRC: Metrics application enables other applications to assess, compare, and track the performance of the processes.") | Metrics manager | | Create disclosures for your organization. Disclosures enable investors to make informed decisions about companies, their risk posture, and sustainability standards. | [Create a narrative disclosure on remote storage](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/NAa7X1aY7FnH_5hvn1qeVQ "Create an Operational Sustainability Management narrative disclosure for your organization and store it on remote storage such as Microsoft SharePoint. Disclosures can be of several types such as ESG report, annual report, and so on.") | Reporting disclosure manager, ESG program manager | [ ] {#esg-new-explore__table_tvb_21k_zyb} * **[Elements of Operational Sustainability Management (formerly ESG Management)](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/HjZrU1WUhZOfd52cedv8CA)** Before you start your sustainability initiatives, familiarize yourself with the key elements such as material topics, metrics, and disclosures that make up the Operational Sustainability Management application. * **[Material topic workflow and states](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/HXxaDf9XFbj7MFVaK2DfTw)** Material topics are the point of origin for sustainability initiatives. A material topic must be identified before it can be tracked and measured for success. The workflow states for a material topic depend on how the material topic was created. * **[Operational Sustainability Management (formerly ESG Management) use case](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/wsH7YlfTnpPjbKLaJ849og)** The operational sustainability use case consists of multiple processes such as setting up your operational sustainability program, defining metrics, collecting data for metrics, adhering to regulatory frameworks, and generating disclosures. * **[Operational Sustainability Workspace (formerly ESG Workspace)](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/VyXVehhGYBhJByKdh56uUA)** The Operational Sustainability Workspace is a simplified user interface designed for different users to perform their respective tasks. The home page of the Operational Sustainability Workspace displays various quick actions and reports. * **[My tasks page view](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/ep~V9tdSs91JH93LjgJ6tA)** My tasks page displays a single-pane view of your pending tasks, and the tasks assigned to your user group. * **[Operational Sustainability Workspace (formerly ESG Workspace) users](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/73GeVZY5qyeRX908tmxm3A)** The Operational Sustainability Workspace displays the relevant data for the environmental, social, and governance pillars and enables you to take appropriate actions according to your role. These roles include the ESG administrator, ESG program manager, ESG reporting and disclosure manager, ESG metrics manager, and ESG data owner. * **[Managing Sustainable IT](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/DNx37PDOcRCY36MuUZywBw)** The Sustainable IT application enables you to effectively manage and monitor the emissions generated by your hardware assets. Additionally, it enables you to keep track of the energy consumption of your assets and their proper disposal after they reach the end of their lifespan. * **[Scope 3 dashboard](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/XZ7bvypo9tp4V7P4LlOcKA)** The Scope 3 dashboard helps you to calculate and track scope 3 emissions to know about your organization's operational sustainability impact and confirm compliance with evolving regulations. Scope 3 emissions refer to indirect emissions in your value chain, for example, the emissions generated from procurement of equipment. * **[Unified content management](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/eF_o3A_cI~fXaZ9ukALO1g)** The Unified content management application is a centralized repository of frameworks, citations, metric definitions, and emission factors. Using this application accelerates the adoption of operational sustainability frameworks. * **[Emission factor library](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/GBzKC5A~IKrzn8PDdaaVRQ)** An emission factor library consists of emission factors, emission activities and emission activity sources. It is crucial to set up your emission factor library to calculate your emissions accurately. * **[Usage of emission factors in a calculated metric definition](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/BEbCCtm3yrhLe9msFrmCEA)** When using an emission factor in a calculated metric definition (CMD), follow the specified guidelines to confirm accurate results. * **[Forecasting planning and analysis](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/d294aJLgtKdFuP5thR7AxA)** You can use the forecast planning and analysis feature to simulate various scenarios. The forecast planning and analysis tools enable for the creation, saving, visualization, and comparison of multiple analyses, enabling better planning.