Embedding ESG in Small Businesses: Lessons from Agora’s Train the Trainers Program
📌 Quick Overview – ESG in PECs
| Aspect | What We Did |
| Approach | Adapted ESG frameworks (People, Planet, Profit) for small and growing businesses in Latin America |
| Key Tools | Learning modules, stakeholder network maps, diagnostics of positive/negative effects, prioritization exercises, simplified ESG questions |
| Innovation | Translated complex ESG standards into accessible, practical tools tailored to PECs |
| Train the Trainers | Equipped consultants and advisors to embed ESG perspectives into their work with entrepreneurs, multiplying impact across the region |
| Focus Dimensions | Economic (profit & competitiveness), Social (well-being & inclusion), Environmental (resource use & footprint) |
| My Role | Architect and translator: designed modules, exercises, and diagnostics that made ESG actionable and replicable |
| Impact | Helped PECs see ESG as part of everyday decisions, creating a multiplier effect through trained consultants who continue spreading sustainability practices across Latin America |
Introduction
Sustainability is often associated with large corporations and global supply chains. But in Latin America, small and growing businesses (PECs) represent 90% of enterprises and employ more than half of the region’s workforce. For them, integrating ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is not a corporate trend—it is a matter of resilience, competitiveness, and long-term survival.
At Agora Partnerships, I worked on adapting ESG frameworks for PECs through our Train the Trainers program, where we equipped consultants and local advisors to guide businesses in embedding a 360º view of impact into their operations. My role was to translate complex frameworks into practical, accessible tools that made sustainability relevant and actionable.
From Planning to Experimentation
When we began, the challenge was clear: most PECs were already measuring financial outcomes but rarely considered their social or environmental footprint. Through the Train the Trainers program, we built learning modules that encouraged advisors and entrepreneurs to see every business decision as an impact decision.
We experimented with participatory methods such as:
- Network maps to visualize stakeholders and hidden interdependencies.
- Diagnostics of positive and negative effects, identifying how routine activities created ripple effects in communities and ecosystems.
- Prioritization exercises, helping businesses decide which stakeholder groups to focus on first.
These exercises made abstract concepts tangible and helped PECs recognize that ESG was already present in their daily operations—it just needed to be managed intentionally.
Building the Backbone
The backbone of this work was an adapted ESG framework. We built it around the “3Ps”—People, Planet, Profit—but translated it into concrete questions that small businesses could use:
- Who benefits or is affected by this decision?
- What can we do to maximize the positive effects?
- How can we mitigate the negative ones?
We grounded these tools with real-world data: research from McKinsey, Accenture, and Emarketer showing that sustainable businesses are more profitable, resilient, and trusted. This combination of global evidence and local adaptation gave credibility to our approach and relevance to the entrepreneurs.
Anchoring in Key Dimensions
We anchored ESG integration in three core dimensions:
- Economic – financial results and competitiveness.
- Social – employee well-being, inclusion, community relationships.
- Environmental – resource use, waste, and ecological footprint.
PECs were encouraged to evaluate not only their internal operations but also their value propositions and external activities. This 360º view helped them see sustainability not as an add-on, but as a guiding philosophy for business.
Organizational Realities
The main challenge was translation. Concepts like carbon footprint or governance structures often seemed distant to small businesses in rural or emerging markets. To bridge this gap, we simplified the conversation: instead of “ESG indicators,” we talked about real trade-offs—closing a business for maintenance, hiring decisions, supplier choices, or customer relationships.
By reframing ESG as part of everyday decisions, businesses could engage without feeling overwhelmed, and consultants could facilitate conversations that were both rigorous and practical.
My Role: The Architect and Translator
My contribution was to act as both architect of the training system and translator of frameworks. I designed the learning modules, exercises, and diagnostics that made ESG understandable for PECs, and I ensured they could be replicated by local consultants across the region.
This role allowed me to combine my systems thinking background with my passion for accessibility: I turned global standards into tools that micro and small businesses could actually use, and I empowered advisors to continue spreading these practices beyond Agora’s direct reach.
Reflexions
Integrating ESG into PECs is like adjusting the lens of a camera: suddenly, businesses see not only their profits, but the people and ecosystems around them. The Train the Trainers program helped entrepreneurs and advisors sharpen that vision—transforming daily decisions into opportunities for resilience and shared value.
