Sustainability reporting involves organisations publishing information – by law or voluntarily – about the impact on their operations of the changing planet and society, and vice-versa. (In fact, this is what’s known as ‘single issue materiality’ versus ‘double issue’ and it’s not that clear cut.) Performance can be measured against a set of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics.

External auditing creates public transparency, accountability and trust.

A bewildering range of frameworks and certificates is available with varying levels of complexity and credibility – from TCFD, CSRD, CPD and Science Based Targets, to EcoVadis, B-Corps and ORB-Cert. Then there is C-BAM for importers and exporters, and credits, to manage carbon impact. Many raw materials have their own ‘badges’, such as Responsible Steel, and PEFC or FSC ‘chain of custody’ for timber or wood pulp. Then there’s all the international ISOs, and HRDD (Human Rights Due Diligence).

Investing in compliance, reporting and certification is an important strategic decision, usually influenced by clients and investors: as requirements cascade through the supply chain, they rely on your credibility for theirs.

Reporting can reassure stakeholders that your business has matters in hand.

Covering a comprehensive range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, certification can be accomplished to generate a return on investment.

Badges can quickly be leveraged in marketing and recruitment collateral, investor presentations, supply chain negotiations and procurement questionnaires.

Simpler standards can be achieved within a few months, building a stepping stone to more complex and costly sustainability accreditations.

Most importantly, the process of collating data and fulfilling standard criteria should support business improvement and transformation: helping uncover the true essence of your business, identify areas for improvement, and determine your next steps.

Our team have decades of experience supporting transformative sustainability initiatives across a wide range of organisations and issues.

Our people include expert sustainability and ESG auditors, supply chain specialists, and skilled professional writers, meaning we can support you through the entire process from strategic thinking, certification, reporting and communicating the results. We are dedicated to showcasing your strengths effectively, even within the strict word limits of tenders.

We can help you achieve compliance, reporting and certification by:

• Collecting and managing data and evidence for certification, carbon footprinting, C-BAM or other sustainability and ESG reporting frameworks. This can include making recommendations for third-party data-management software in preparation for more complex future requirements.
• Helping you to understand your current and future regulatory obligations, and  to select an appropriate framework and/or certification for your size and market. We can then support you to evidence, complete and publish it.
• Exploring opportunities created by modular certification, which often enables a quicker return on investment through engaging communications campaigns and progress reporting for stakeholders.
• Assessing value chain risks and opportunities to ensure you remain competitive, responsive and agile in a changing business landscape.
• Preparing for stricter net-zero reporting and supply chain challenges; assess your readiness for critical disruption; innovate across the value chain to develop resilience to climate and social change.
• Supporting wider team learning and transformation by delivering training for groups and/or 1:1 coaching and mentoring.