Insights

We’ve recently worked with a client to define an approach to the responsible sourcing of goods from across the world. As we described in an article last year, ‘ The 5 steps to more responsible procurement ’ , this isn’t easy to do because of the huge range of items and services that most businesses buy.    However, before leaping in with supplier questionnaires, codes of conduct, and contractual clauses, there is a more fundamental question to ask which can help to tell you

Why supporting the UN SDGs strengthens your ESG Strategy  On 25 September, organisations around the world mark UN SDG Flag Day – a moment to reflect on the role business plays in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs were originally designed as a “shared global blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet” but were quickly developed to provide businesses with a framework to guide strategy, innovation, and impact.  For companies build

Responsible procurement means being considered in your purchases and trying to minimise social and environmental harm. It is not easy to do because nearly every company buys a huge range of items and services. But, if you want to make some improvements to your approach, these are the hands-on steps to follow:  Understand what you buy and where you buy it from. Look at your spend and suppliers to identify categories/types of purchase and also the country of purchase. When you’

What is double materiality? Traditional (single) materiality focuses on how sustainability-related risks and opportunities affect your organisation’s performance, including future financial performance. The key to traditional materiality is to understand the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities from a broad range of stakeholders, including the leadership team, customers, employees, and investors. The exercise output should indicate how each of the material E

We don’t take on all work. Part of the joy of working for a boutique consultancy is the ability to pick and choose the projects that we want to work on. After over six years of doing this we’ve come to closely understand which projects bring us the most joy and which add the most value to our clients. This is the sweet spot we focus on. If you meet one or more of the criteria below, that probably isn’t you. That doesn’t mean we don’t deviate from this from time-to-time but it

A summary of key supply chain ESG risks and the practical next steps you can take to start managing these.

Updated on 4th April 2025 following the European Parliament vote on 26 March. With many non-EU companies in scope for  Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and/or the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), these pieces of EU legislation continue to shape the future of sustainability reporting.  The February 2025 EU Omnibus Directive proposed some important changes that impact reporting timelines, data point expectations, and the scope and pa

We have worked closely with over 50 companies on their ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) journeys, and have reviewed the ESG approach of hundreds more. What has become clear to us is that companies go through a very predictable pattern of evolving their approach over time; from infancy, to tactical, to strategic and finally, to excellence. There is no way to short-cut this and each stage has its value, as we describe below:  Infancy   During this stage companies are doin

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) is increasingly important for businesses that want to create long-term value, manage risks and opportunities, and meet the expectations of their stakeholders. However, the relevance of individual ESG issues (e.g. climate change; health and wellbeing; equity, diversity and inclusion; responsible procurement; etc.) is unique to each company – it’s operations, supply chain, industry and location. Therefore, before you can even think abo

How to implement a practical and impactful responsible sourcing strategy.

TCFD is an acronym for Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure. Here's what you need to know.

An excellent sustainability report will give the reader an honest and well-rounded portrayal of your company. Done well, it will build brand trust and assure investors that you're effectively managing your company's sustainability impacts. Be it a standalone sustainability report, the sustainability content of your company's annual report or the sustainability content of your corporate website, there are four steps you should follow to make it great. Step 1: Define your con