To create value through ESG (environmental, social, and governance), you need to put the theory aside and develop a concrete and practical plan to get started. Being successful is not just about finance, disclosure, climate change or diversity. It is about embedding all of these - and other - principles in your strategy and activities. It is essential to embed ESG factors into your company's strategy and transformation, as well as into reporting and assurance to ensure a successful sustainable future.
To remain successful in a sustainable future, organisations incorporate ESG factors in strategy, transformation, reporting and assurance. These organisations have a clear picture of sustainability risks and opportunities and act accordingly, both internally and in the value chain. In doing so, these organisations play an important role in achieving the SDGs. There are five ESG themes that your organisation needs to address in order to remain successful in a sustainable future:
Climate change has a major impact on economic and social development. Organisations in the public and private sectors must accelerate their efforts to reduce the risks of climate change, tackle the global crisis and maintain their license to operate. For example, many companies are working on the energy transition and are setting net zero ambitions to stop producing greenhouse gas on a net basis and reduce their ecological footprint.
More information about Energy transition
Traditional and innovative new sources of funding are increasingly giving priority to organisations and projects that focus on climate and societal goals. Companies in the financial sector are an important factor in the transformation to a sustainable economy. There are many opportunities for the business community and the government to use these sources of financing for a sustainable future and comply with the EU Taxonomy as well.
More information about Sustainable finance
Investors increasingly recognise that companies which actively address climate change and other sustainability issues are more resilient to adverse market conditions and realise a better performance. Many investors are working to integrate environmental, governance, social and fiscal insights into traditional investment approaches.
More information about Responsible investment
Legislators, regulators, customers and investors are putting increasing pressure on companies to organise their value chains in a sustainable way. By tackling problems around the use of raw materials, waste and social impacts, companies are creating more sustainable value chains, or even opting for a circular business model.
More information about Sustainable value chain
To be a sustainable and engaging company, being a good employer is crucial. Managers embrace the goal of sustainability and invest in aspects such as employee wellbeing, diversity, inclusion and equality. Inspired employees are the key to successfully implementing a sustainable strategy.
More information about The future of workThe world we live in is a gathering place for nature in all its variety – nature which is our lifeline. Food, medicines and industrial resources – the world's biodiversity is essential for us all. Today, about a million species of flora and fauna are threatened with extinction worldwide, and biodiversity has declined by 68 percent over the past 50 years. Current efforts are insufficient to halt this unprecedented deterioration of nature, which undermines the foundations of our economy, food security, health, and quality of life.
In order to realise the ESG themes, organisations can no longer manage sustainability in a silo, or focus solely on limiting negative consequences for society and the planet. Sustainability will be integrated into the core of the organisation. Organisations that reconsider their strategic direction based on ESG factors have the potential to protect their reputation and achieve value growth. To most organisations, sustainability will become a license to operate. We can advise you on how to integrate ESG factors into your strategy and how to transform your organisation to achieve these factors.
In order to achieve the ESG factors, companies, investors and governments cannot rely solely on traditional financial information to take decisions. Forward-thinking organisations integrate insights into their annual reports on topics such as human rights, CO2 emissions, water pollution and taxes. They are also well informed about new EU regulation such as the EU taxonomy, NFRD, TCFD, etc. Transparency provides companies an advantage towards stakeholders and is essential for their reputation. We can help you measure and report those insights correctly, in accordance with recognised governance, environmental and reporting standards. In order to establish the information reported is credible, and thus further increase trust, we can provide you with assurance on your financial and non-financial information.
Think beyond financials. Stay prepared and agile so you’re ahead of tomorrow. That’s where ESG comes in. When fully embedded in your business from strategy to reporting, tax to legal, HR to M&A, you’re ready to capture the right opportunities. Run a stronger business. Build a better world.
You’ve done the work. Implemented the ESG principles. So how do you hold your business accountable going forward with metrics you can trust? By using proven tactics and smarter technologies to identify, measure and proactively prove your work - to employees, customers, shareholders, suppliers and the world.
We’ll help your people and technology to work together so you can see more, go deeper and act faster to make ESG-driven changes to your operations, value chain and organization. Use the right data to take smart actions. Create value and determine the path for your success.
We are also taking steps on the ESG factors. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive environment for our people. In addition, PwC's global ambition is to operate Net Zero by 2030. This means that we will reduce our absolute emissions as much as possible, with a minimum of 50%. We compensate the remainder by, for example, planting a new forest and thus removing more CO2 from the air (carbon removal). This makes our net emissions zero.
Viviana Voorwald
Partner, ESG Lead PwC NL & PwC Europe, PwC Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)65 536 23 07
