sustainability in Business

Sustainability in Business is a platform for Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility in business. We advance awareness and knowledge of this critical function as businesses evolve in relation to climate, nature, people, and governance.

What is sustainability in business?

Sustainability in Business is a platform for Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility in business. We strive to  advance awareness and knowledge of this critical role in business in relation to climate, nature, people, and governance.   
                     
Sustainability covers a broad set of topics important for corporate risk management, governance, and  strategy. They include risks and opportunities associated with climate and nature, greenhouse gas emissions, stakeholder relations, business ethics, and human rights, among others. Financial materiality, the effect of these topics on the financial outlook of a firm, is relevant to business management and governance. Beyond financial materiality, the impacts of business operation on people and the planet directly and indirectly affect a business's relationship with a broad set of internal and external stakeholders who increasingly expect businesses to interact responsibly with the environment and the stakeholders.

Sustainability is becoming an urgent and important topic that businesses increasingly prioritise. Whether sustainability impacts are seen as risks, opportunities, or both depends on the nature of the business sector and activities. With the implementation of CSRD1 and the release of disclosure standards, sustainability-related assessments affect large and small businesses across sectors and geographies.

1. Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive

Digital Tools

The ESG App is a digital resource on the regulatory development and thematic topics in Sustainability. It is available for iOS/macOS and Android (mobile) devices.
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New!CSRD Tool is a learning tool for Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) reporting. It is based on EU Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772 and includes over 1,200 disclosure data points of the CSRD.
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topics

CSRD AND ESRS

EU regulations on mandatory sustainability reporting to be phased in over the next years

EU TAXONOMY

Taxonomy alignment criteria across six environmental objectives including Substantial Contribution and DNSH criteria by activities

RISKS AND TRANSITION PLANNING

Climate risk assessments and transition planning towards a net-zero economy

MATERIALITY

Sustainability-related materiality and its impact on businesses

GHG EMISSIONS

Emissions conversions, measurement and decarbonisation

NATURE

Nature and its relations to businesses. Recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures

CORPORATE COMMITMENTS

Science-based Targets and Net-Zero commitments

CARBON MARKETS

Carbon standards, carbon markets, compliance and voluntary trading systems

OTHER RELEVANT TOPICS

Human rights, affected communities, governance and more

Our Articles

CSRD's ESRS 2: General Disclosures, Part 1
ESRS 2 General Disclosures is the set of sustainability disclosures required for all companies starting from the first year of disclosure. Thus, it is the most generally applicable section of ESRS and it is considered “sector-agnostic” and “cross-cutting” across Sustainability Topics. Except a few specific phase-in requirements outlined in ESRS 1 General Requirements, all disclosures in ESRS 2 General Disclosures are required for all entities starting from the first year of mandatory reporting.
April 16, 2024
CSRD's ESRS 1: General Requirements
We are starting a series on Navigating CSRD Requirements. In each instalment of this series, we deep dive into a specific section or disclosure requirement of the CSRD. In this first instalment, we look at CSRD Annex 1 European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) 1 - General Requirements.
March 26, 2024
GHG emissions reporting: interoperability between CSRD/ESRS, GRI and ISSB
Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 GHG emissions is one of the main required reporting metrics across the three main reporting standards, CSRD/ESRS, GRI and ISSB. Is there a high level of inter-operability in the reporting requirements of this important metric across the published standards? We look into this particular reporting requirement.
February 13, 2024
EFRAG's implementation guidance for the materiality assessment as of December 2023
In the November meeting of the EFRAG working group on Sustainability Reporting, the group provided an update on the guidance for materiality assessment. This document incorporates comments from previous rounds of revisions, and it is expected to be publicly released once all comments are incorporated and it receives approval.
January 13, 2024
"Who Cares Wins": transforming finance and economics through ESG
The term “ESG” first appeared in a report titled “Who cares wins", published in 2004 under the guidance of the UN Global Compact. The subtitle of the report, “connecting financial markets to a changing world,” highlights its intention to provide guidance for financial institutions on environmental, social, and corporate governance issues which are seen to be closely related to sound financial resource allocation. The report is the output of a joint initiative of 18 leading financial institutions from 9 countries at the invitation of the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
January 5, 2024
The LEAP framework for nature-related financial disclosures
What is the LEAP framework that accompanies the TNFD disclosure recommendations? It stands for “Locate, Evaluate, Assess, Prepare”, and it is a four-step integrated assessment framework for nature-related issues released by the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures.
November 16, 2023
Nature-related disclosures: how do TNFD recommendations affect sustainability disclosures?
During Climate Week 2023, The Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) released its inaugural Recommendations on Nature-related Disclosures. Building on the work of the Taskforce for Climate-related Disclosures (TCFD), TNFD sought to accelerate the integration of nature-related topics in financial disclosures in a similar structure to TCFD.
October 13, 2023
More articles  →

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