Why ESG Reporting is More Important Than Ever

The Five Things Every Private Company Should Know

Private companies are not required to make specific Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosures. Why, then, do so many of them dedicate substantial time and resources to these issues?

Answer: it is the right thing to do as well as a good business move. Private company executives understand that ESG issues are critical to most companies’ future success, so they are making it a priority. In the world of private equity, sponsors are analysing their portfolio companies’ ESG issues and having frank discussions with CEOs and CFOs. While the importance of ESG is steadily gaining recognition, this topic has not been central to the financial workings, even within the enterprise risk management function. All of this is changing — even more so in the past year for public organizations as well.

One of the most important aspects of ESG — human capital management — got a boost this past year from the COVID-19 pandemic, which illuminated the importance of emphasizing employee development and training, compensation, benefits, health and safety, supply chain resilience, diversity, and corporate culture. Now, human capital management has become one ESG issue no company can ignore.

But it is much more than that. Experts believe that ESG data is critical to the success of an organization and something that smart investors should be taking note of. But this is something that is difficult to aggregate, often incomplete, inconsistent and error prone, increasing the risk of poor and inadequate messaging to the market.

So, how do organizations (both private and public) get started? Here are five steps to consider:

• Identify and secure a partner: It is important to work with an experienced partner that knows and has a deep understanding of ESG reporting. They can assist in helping with identifying key benchmarks and what tools to use for measurement.
• Select material indicators and ratings. Familiarize yourself with the ESG criteria and reporting frameworks. Note that not all are the same (i.e., Value Reporting Foundation (VRF) Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and identify five to seven relevant material indicators to focus on, such as climate, labour, human capital, social inequality, sustainability, and so on.
• Analyse peer group review. Complete a peer review on what moves the needle with those that ratter and rankers. The selections you make and how you define (and defend) your selections must differentiate you and your brand/organization.
• Develop key themes. Distil a complex ESG program down to three to five thematic tenets. This is much more than an abstract and should be backed-up with data of how and why with specific initiatives spotlighted.
• Content creation. Advisory team develops the narrative and marketing designed content-ready piece, to showcase datapoints as well, for submission.

ESG is worth making a priority. ESG reporting is evolving rapidly and growing in importance. Skillful and transparent management of these issues will improve your relationship with investors, clients, employees, and all stakeholders.