ESG | RSM Norway

Environmental, Social & Governance

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for a company’s success. Incorporating ESG into the company’s strategy is important to ensure growth, competitiveness, and access to capital.

ESG refers to environmental, social and governance factors that are used to assess whether a business can be considered sustainable.

Environmental

There is an increasing awareness of climate change in the society, which increases the pressure on both politicians and legislators on how we are going to achieve the goals set in the Paris Agreement and limit the rise in global temperature. Private companies are also subject to increasingly higher pressure from their stakeholders in terms of how their businesses are affecting the environment.

The attention to companies’ carbon footprint will undoubtedly continue to increase in the years to come, especially with the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will require a number of companies to report on sustainability. In practice, these reporting requirements means that all businesses eventually will have to be conscious of emissions they are creating directly through their business operations, but also through their entire supply chain.

The industry in which you operate will be crucial for which areas within environmental sustainability are most important for your business to concentrate on. Typical areas are carbon emissions, nature, water consumption, resource use, waste management and circular economy.

Governance

Governance refers to the rules, controls and routines that govern the company’s behaviour. Since business ethics form the framework for how the business achieves its goals, it is a central area within the sustainability work as it affects the business’ ambitions and long-term achievements.

Effective governance does not only mean complying with laws and regulations, but also dealing with key environmental and social issues. Furthermore, good governance depends on the measures that are put in place being assessed and measured afterwards. A clear and transparent approach to business management is important to achieve respect and trust from both stakeholders and employees.

ESG strategy and ESG solutions

ESG reporting is a complex topic and is constantly evolving. Producing an ESG strategy can therefore seem challenging, but ESG deals with topics that very quickly will become essential for your customers, suppliers, business partners, employees, and other stakeholders. Not only due to a growing trend in our society, but also as several areas within ESG are gradually being required by law for several companies to report on.

RSM’s team is interdisciplinary and has the expertise needed to offer specialised advice for your business. Regardless of whether you have already started your ESG journey or not, we can offer solutions that suit you – this could be an initial maturity assessment, ESG due diligence, assistance with reporting under the Transparency Act, or third-party assurance of your ESG report. We have the expertise you need.