The Center for Safety and Health Sustainability (CSHS), whose member organizations represent more than 100,000 workplace safety and health professionals around the world, has signed on as a strategic partner of the newly launched Capitals Coalition. The Switzerland-based coalition, which unites more than 350 organizations globally, is a merger of the Natural Capital Coalition and the Social & Human Capital Coalition. The group will take an integrated and systemic approach in addressing environmental, social and economic challenges.

The Capitals Coalition believes many global leaders overlook the value provided by nature, people and society when managing their businesses. “Natural capital” – the world's stock of natural resources – is a growing international focus for organizations, and coalition members want it top of mind when world leaders review and update targets for biodiversity and climate, and measure progress against sustainable development goals that include workplace safety and health.

“Together, we’re seeking transformative change in corporate decision-making and government policy to recognize the value of human capital and other key factors,” said Kathy A. Seabrook, CSP, CFIOSH, EurOSHM, chair of the CSHS Board of Directors. “Worker safety and health is a critical component of all sustainable companies.”

The coalition will stimulate stakeholder collaboration in a continued push to bring nature and people into the heart of business and government decision-making using internationally accepted and standardized frameworks such as the Natural Capital Protocol and the Social & Human Capital Protocol.

“It’s increasingly clear that natural, social, human capital and economic issues are fundamentally interconnected, so that’s the lens that must be adopted,” Seabrook said. “People are at the core of every business. If leaders are to succeed in delivering a sustainable and resilient future, those components must be addressed together in an integrated system. There’s widespread value in doing that.”

Thirty influential members of the coalition signed on as strategic partners in January. Collectively they represent business, finance, policy, science and academia, standard-setting and membership organizations. The strategic partners will play a pivotal role in guiding the coalition in its mission.

To learn more about how the Capitals Coalition is transforming the way decisions are made, visit its website.

About the Center for Safety and Health Sustainability

CSHS aims to advance the safety and health sustainability of the global workplace, with a focus on human capital initiatives. CSHS’s work includes research on corporate reporting practices, the development of a best practices guide on reporting occupational safety and health metrics, and a series of workshops on the implications of human capital policies and practices. CSHS engages safety and health partners around the world to work toward minimum standards that help reduce workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities. CSHS is a collaborative effort by the American Society of Safety Professionals, American Industrial Hygiene Association, Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, and Institution for Occupational Safety and Health. For more details, visit www.centershs.org.