Environmental, social and governance risks are both business and investment risks, and chartered accountants are at the heart of reporting on them as well as the financials.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks are being incorporated into management, as well as investment, decision-making - whether it's lending decisions, equity investing, green bonds, or anything else, says Neil Stewart, Director of Corporate Outreach at the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).
“Value creation, its preservation or erosion as a result of these ESG risks is now being quantified,” says Stewart, “and so too is corporate performance against these risks. This is what puts the accounting profession at the centre of this ESG world.”