Introduction
This course is aimed at senior professionals in large and small organisations who engaging or are ready to engage with mandatory and voluntary ESG requirements.
ESG adoption is often predicated on either the push of investors or the pull of customers. A growing number of investors, both institutional and private, and in developed and emerging markets alike, look at ESG risks as a testing ground for their portfolio companies. The ones that perform well on ESG are well-positioned for the future and have better chances of adapting their products and services to a global consumer base that is increasingly demanding environmental protection, respect for human rights and corporate transparency. The number of financial institutions that integrate ESG in their decision-making processes is on the rise globally, and it is expected to increase in a post-Covid economy as studies have shown that companies with high ESG ratings held up better than their competitors during the crisis.
In some cases, ESG reporting is being mandated. For example, the Corporate Social Responsibility Directive (CSRD) comes into effect for large public-interest companies in Europe from 1 January 2024. We can expect to see more examples of this type of legislation over the coming years.
In this course, we will begin with the baseline of ESG relevance and rising ubiquity in common investment and company discourse. We will review the rise of ESG amongst private and public sector entities and explore its relevance to various industries. We will discuss the principle of materiality and practise applying materiality assessments using several common ESG frameworks.
We will explore case studies, workshop concepts, and ensure participants walk away with practical tools and insights to use in their own ESG reporting and compliance work. We will review the ways in which ESG not only mitigates risk but adds value to an underlying asset.
Finally, we will take course participants through the process of ESG reporting to workshop stages of the process, data collection principles, narrative development, telling a holistic story, and the final stage of ESG report assurance.