Although definitions of sustainabillity are many and varied, they all tend to be based on achieving an equilibrium between social, environmental and economic constraints. In recent years we have heard a lot about the environmental and economic strands of this triple bottom line, but when it comes to social sustainability, things become a lot more vague.
The lament that sustainability tends to sit within old fashioned corporate social responsibility (CSR) departments is well known. While resource and financial sustainability have been gradually breaking free of this departmental constraint and beginning to be embedded within other parts of organisations, in a lot of cases social sustainability remains steadfastly linked to traditional philanthropy.
Having said this, there are examples of leading businesses that are starting to think strategically about how to manage their social impact. This is extremely complicated, given that it touches nearly all of an organisation's stakeholders.
So what does leadership in terms of managing corporate social impact look like? Do traditional philanthropy and CSR still have a place in strategic corporate sustainability? What help is out there for companies that want to do more to address their social impact and what are the first steps they should take? How can collaboration help to address social impact?
To address these, and other, questions, we've brought together a panel of experts for an interactive online discussion. If you'd like to add your thoughts, or pose a question to the panel, then please join us on Wednesday 10 August from 2-4pm (BST).
The discussion will take place in the comments section at the foot of this page. You'll need to be registered to comment on the Guardian site to participate. Comments and questions in advance of the discussion are also very welcome.
The panel
Alison Braybrooks - managing director of Impact abc, a sustainability consultancy that helps companies make a positive social impact
Matt Cooke - social and economic investment campaign director, Business in the Community
Klara Kozlov - senior advisory manager, Charities Aid Foundation
Lucy Stone - climate change manager, UNICEF UK
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