London Climate Action Week (LCAW), 20-28 June 2026, brought policymakers, regulators, businesses and organisations from around the world to discuss tackling climate change and the transition to a more sustainable, resilient economy.

LCAW underscored how quickly expectations are shifting for businesses, for capital markets and for the accountancy profession.

For ICAEW members, the implication is clear: sustainability related risks and opportunities are already affecting cashflow, financial performance and long-term value creation. It is now a core part of professional competence to understand issues, such as:

• resilience of infrastructure and supply-chains from extreme weather events,
• natural resource constraints, and
• ability to secure talent. 

Discussing the importance of LCAW, ICAEW’s Chief Executive, Alan Vallance, said: “For finance professionals, this is increasingly about embedding sustainability-related risks, opportunities and impacts into decision-making, governance, reporting and assurance. It is about reshaping how the organisations they lead and advise operate.”

ICAEW has played an active role during LCAW, highlighting the direction of travel expected of the profession and the practical support available to members.

From ambition to implementation

A defining feature of this year’s LCAW has been the shift from high-level commitments to implementation at scale. More than 1,000 events brought together 75,000 people to hear a consistent message: the focus is no longer on ambition alone, but on delivery at scale.

Embedding sustainability into financial decision-making across sectors and markets is essential and urgent. Without such change it will be impossible for society  to transition business models and economies onto a more sustainable, resilient footing.

For this to happen, high-quality sustainability information –is needed by investors to allocate capital effectively and for wider market confidence. To facilitate high-quality decision making this information must be supported by robust reporting processes and trusted assurance.

These are issues to which organisations are already responding and where finance teams are at the centre.

ICAEW at London Climate Action Week

Reflecting its continued commitment to supporting members, and the wider profession, on building competency on sustainability, ICAEW’s activity during LCAW has focused on three key areas.

Strengthening trust through sustainability assurance

As sustainability information becomes embedded in decision-making, the need for confidence in that information grows. Investors, regulators and other stakeholders increasingly expect disclosures to be useful, consistent and supported by credible, high-quality assurance.

To support members in this fast-moving area, ICAEW launched the second edition of A buyer’s guide to assurance on sustainability information. The guide, which has been developed in partnership with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, takes a buyer’s perspective. It aims to help organisations move from uncertainty to informed action by clarifying:

• what assurance is (and is not),
• how to determine the right scope and practitioner, and
• how to use assurance to strengthen processes, decision-making and capability over time.

• Access the guide

Supporting high-quality global sustainability reporting

ICAEW announced two strategic partnerships during LCAW to support high-quality sustainability reporting globally. The first is with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation and the second is with UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges (UN SSE).

High-quality reporting helps market participants understand how climate and other sustainability-related risks and opportunities affect financial performance, position and long-term value. For finance professionals, this brings practical challenges around various aspects of their job, such as:

• data,
• controls,
• governance,
• strategy,
• integration with financial reporting, and
• professional judgement.

These partnerships will help ICAEW equip members and the global ecosystem with the skills needed to put this into practice.

Through the IFRS partnership, ICAEW is now an official training partner in the ISSB Training Partner Programme (TPP). This means it can deliver IFRS Foundation-developed training on the ISSB Standards, and its local variations (such as the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards).

Meanwhile, through the UN SSE partnership, ICAEW will support better sustainability reporting by listed companies globally, with a focus on what this means for accountants.

Building capability across the profession

ICAEW announced that it will be launching a Sustainability Reporting Certificate. This structured elearning programme will, support members to move from awareness of sustainability reporting to practical application, through an online case study assessment. To help learners, ICAEW is also developing a suite of learning resources, such as the foundational UN SSE and the in-depth TPP resources.

The certificate will be an important part of ICAEW’s wider sustainability learning offering, helping professionals bring sustainability into everyday financial work, decision-making, reporting and assurance.

ICAEW members can register interest in the certificate, to be among the first to hear of its launch and to share views to help its development.

Wider developments shaping the landscape

LCAW saw a strong focus on implementation at scale, with organisations emphasising the need to deliver measurable outcomes as global momentum builds towards the next phase of climate action.

Sustainable finance and capital allocation remained central, with discussions focused on mobilising investment for the transition and addressing persistent financing gaps.

There was also increasing emphasis on adaptation and resilience, reflecting the growing financial impact of physical climate risks on infrastructure, supply chains and business operations.

Finally, LCAW highlighted the continued importance of partnerships and international cooperation. Coordinated action across business, government and institutions seen as essential in a complex global environment.

Together, these developments reinforce the direction of travel: a greater focus on practical delivery, financial implications and decision-useful information.

What does this mean for members?

Several clear messages emerged from LCAW:

• Sustainability is a core part to finance – shaping financial performance, position and access to capital.
• High-quality information is critical – and finance professionals are central to ensuring it is decision-useful.
• Assurance underpins trust – and expectations are rising rapidly.
• Capability is a key enabler – requiring new skills and continuous development.

For finance professionals, the opportunity is to play a central role in connecting sustainability issues to financial outcomes and supporting better decision-making.