Sustainability and climate articles

Chartered accountants are at the heart of financial decision-making, ensuring businesses remain profitable, competitive, and compliant with evolving regulations. In an era where energy prices are volatile, and sustainability is a growing priority, accountants have a crucial role in guiding businesses towards net zero—unlocking substantial financial and strategic benefits.

After three years of hosting Climate Summits, ICAEW expanded its focus this year to host its first Sustainability Summit. This broader agenda highlights that sustainability challenges cannot be tackled in silos. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequalities are interconnected, and addressing these issues requires a more holistic approach.

The Sustainable Finance Education Charter (SFEC) has released its third Annual Progress Report, showcasing the progress made by professional bodies throughout 2023 in advancing education and training in sustainable finance.

As 2024 progresses, many businesses will find themselves woefully unprepared for reporting requirements that they have not previously faced. This year promises to be a milestone year for emissions reporting as large organisations cascade carbon data requests throughout their supply chain. SMEs make up 44% of non-household emissions in the UK but for many this will be their first encounter with carbon reporting. They desperately need guidance to navigate this new area and to ensure that they stay compliant. With access to key data, accountants are incredibly well placed to provide carbon accoun...

Key findings from the 2024 World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Risks Report.

COP 28, the global climate summit, opens in Dubai on 30 November with a major focus on "putting nature, people, lives, and livelihoods at the heart of climate action".

Accountants have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the way they work and contribute to a cleaner future. When you pair spend-based data with annual reporting, you have the foundations of a service that will future-proof your firm: carbon accounting. This article is designed to break down the jargon and empower your firm to leverage this unique commercial opportunity.

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the need for organizations to address their environmental impact has become paramount. Carbon accounting, a technique used to measure and manage carbon emissions, has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses to understand and reduce their carbon footprint. In this article, we will explore what carbon accounting entails, how it can benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and why chartered accountants should embrace carbon accounting.

ICAEW is playing a key role in B20 this year, in particular as part of its ESG in Business Action Council.

Sustainability challenges call for new styles of leadership. Which attributes differentiate tomorrow’s ESG leaders from the crowd? KPMG partner Dr Muel Kaptein gives us the lowdown.