Integrating ESG into business strategy

Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) are the three main areas of concern that have developed as central factors in measuring the sustainability and ethical impact of an investment in a company or business.

Preparing today for the future means setting a path towards changing businesses for the better – to innovate, reduce emissions, strengthen resilience and build trust in business and the economy. Regardless of industry or geography, organisations face dynamic, connected challenges: from environmental degradation and human rights challenges, to shifting geopolitical power and focus on inclusive growth.

Businesses will need to consider how to manage the ESG issues that are going to transform how we live and work - to focus on what matters most and drive the change required to meet society’s expectations and thrive in a low carbon economy.

Innovation, transformation and accountability

Creating a new, sustainable future for businesses such as developing the low carbon products, services and revenue streams, requires innovative consideration in key areas, such as:

• Decarbonisation strategy and execution
• Ethical supply chain
• Tax policy and green tax strategy
• Accessibility to grants and incentives
• Navigating the complex regulatory landscape
• Biodiversity and natural capital strategies

Business transformation will also mean rewiring your existing setup to prepare it for significant changes in infrastructure, people and process, in areas such as:

• Climate risk and resilience, including stress testing
• Diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities
• Workplace safety and privacy
• Emissions trading and offset

Measuring and communicating progress will also be required insofar as setting the right targets and creating a clear ESG communication narrative, backed by robust and accurate measurement systems. This could comprise elements such as:

• ESG reporting assurance
• Governance effectiveness and benchmarking
• Board composition and effectiveness
• Ethics and compliance optimisation
• ESG accounting, management information and optimisation software
• ESG technology, data and analytics
  

Working with Deloitte

Whatever your journey is towards integrating ESG components into your business strategy, guidance from experienced and trusted consultants will be an advantage. At Deloitte, we can support you with a broad range of services to meet requirements. With Deloitte, you will get:

• Trusted consultants: We invest in relationships and deliver results. Our clients like and trust us and we’ve worked with many of them for more than a decade.

• Innovative consulting: We work at the frontier of corporate sustainability; we helped to define many of the sustainability frameworks and guidelines that are now well-established in global businesses.

• Flexible solutions: We’re confident working with any of your internal stakeholders: Boards, executive committees, finance, risk and sustainability teams.

• Collaborative approaches: We partner with niche specialists when delivering our ESG services to bridge the gap between business and academia, technology and science.

• Access to a large network: Our scale means we can help your global businesses with most environmental, societal or governance challenges, wherever they are faced.