Susan Rossney, Public Policy Officer, writes:

It seems that everyone is talking about sustainability nowadays. Accountants in SMPs are watching the news and listening to the debate. You may well be asking questions like: “What can I do in the face of a global issue?” “How will this affect my practice and my clients’ businesses?” “What questions will my clients ask me next?” “ What expertise should I be developing now?” “How will sustainability work for me?”

The sense of urgency to address climate change across the world is intensifying. Droughts, floods and wildfires are increasing, ecosystems are collapsing, and in response people are calling for change. But climate change is part of a broader sustainability challenge – one that can be summed up as ‘environment, social and governance’, or ESG. The responsibility to meet this challenge falls on all businesses and firms, including small ones. As ESG continues its rise up the political and corporate agenda, smaller businesses now more than ever need to meet certain ESG criteria so they can access finance, win contracts or be part of larger companies’ value chains. Clients and consumers also expect businesses to have a positive impact on the environment and to be doing their part to contribute to change. Companies that want to prosper in the future will have little choice but to become sustainable.

Small businesses have a crucial role in the transition to more sustainable economies and societies. Accountants are key financial advisors for those businesses, but also need to understand and implement sustainability practices for their own businesses. This article discusses the opportunities for small businesses – and their advisors – in embracing sustainability.

“Practices who want to engage particularly with the next generation of staff and clients need to be able to take sustainability seriously and need to be able to demonstrate that”
Conal Kennedy, Head of Practice Consulting, Chartered Accountants Ireland

Environmental, social and economic issues present huge risks for businesses. Examples include:

• losing out to competitors;
• having reduced access to capital;
• developing weaknesses in supply chains;
• developing succession risks; and
• failing to meet the requirements of stakeholders, including consumers, clients, banks, business partners, staff and regulators.

Accountants can identify and quantify these risks for their own practices, and develop policies for themselves and their clients to address them. But managing risks against ESG factors can also benefit businesses directly. As this article will show, if properly addressed, it impacts employee welfare, improving employee experience and leading to greater output; it affects ability to access finance; it enhances an organisation’s reputation, helping to attract new business and staff; and it can help companies comply with supply chain requirements of their larger clients. Preparers and auditors of financial statements will also need to consider these issues going forward.

Generating new business

Many accountants are now adding “sustainability consulting” to their services to clients. As trusted advisors, they can play a key role in helping SME clients think about their potential sustainability risks, and leverage opportunities offered by the sustainable transition.

For example - Accountants can help clients to:

• assess sustainability impact and risks
• improve efficiencies
• reduce costs
• avail of grants
• acquire finance
• identify opportunities to expand their range
• navigate the changes

Sustainability is also an increasingly important factor in tendering for contracts with larger organisations which have stricter sustainability goals. Some of these large organisations perform assessments of potential suppliers. Others also carry out regular risk screenings of existing supply-chain suppliers, and/or conduct internal audits and onsite supplier audits to verify that their supply chain suppliers are conforming to their policies. Accountants have a huge role to play in helping companies prepare this information, and in doing so themselves if they are part of these supply chains or are tendering for contracts.

Accessing Finance

Embracing sustainability is working towards ensuring the financial future of accountants’ businesses or their clients’ businesses. Investors are actively looking to invest in sustainable projects, and are screening out certain sectors or companies (like those heavily reliant on fossil fuels, for example). Businesses seeking this investment benefit from being able to collect and report on their sustainability-related activities against a recognised standard. Many banks are also adopting sustainability criteria and may require proof of sustainable practices from companies looking to avail of finance. There are also business grants as well as support schemes and tax incentives available for organisations looking to transition to more sustainable practices. Again, accountants have a huge role to play in guiding clients through this.

Savings

Operating in a sustainable manner saves costs. While there may be short-term costs associated with transitioning to a sustainable business model, businesses can recoup the investment they make and can also reduce their business costs by introducing more sustainable ways of working. According to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), the average SME can save up to 30% on its energy bill by becoming more energy efficient. A business with an engaged and motivated team is also less likely to experience high employee-turnover and associated costs. In a drive to decarbonise Ireland’s economy, the rate of carbon tax increased by €7.50 in October 2020 from €26 to €33.50 per tonne/CO2. Reducing your carbon emissions will reduce your cost.

Ultimately, though, any costs associated must be reframed as the cost of compliance or risk management. The greater costs are the costs of not being sustainable.

Reputation

With social media increasing access to companies, there are very few places to hide for organisations which are falling short of sustainability-related expectations. Staff expect it, and customers demand it. Companies not being transparent about their sustainability achievements, or their goals, will be called out by their customers and staff. Likewise, there is little patience for companies that are ‘green-washing’, i.e. presenting a false or misleading green public image.

“64 percent of customers are ‘belief-driven buyers’ who will choose, switch, avoid or boycott a brand based on its stand on societal issues.”
2019 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: In Brands We Trust? Mobile Survey

Attracting clients

On the flip side, though, organisations that do embrace sustainability are in a strong position to attract clients. They can do this by becoming more visible in their community. Supporting local literacy or numeracy projects, participating in local charities or sports clubs, or engaging in local-tree planting initiatives not only increases brand awareness of a firm or business: it builds trust with a community. Remember – not everyone may be doing this, so you will have a first-mover advantage if you do.

As a greater number of large companies are either required to or decide to report on human rights, diversity and climate-related policies, a greater number of local businesses supplying those companies will also be obliged to disclose their own sustainability practices, and will need help from a financial advisor to do so. Accountants who are experienced in offering clients this support may attract more clients looking to comply with the sustainability requirements of large organisations.

Attracting & retaining talent

Candidates are actively seeking jobs in companies with strong ESG credentials and are rejecting jobs in those companies not aligned with their own values. What was identified by McKinsey in 1997 as the ‘war for talent’ is as fierce as ever within the professional services sector, and organisations are going to great lengths to recruit talent. These same companies are now including their commitment to ESG values as a competitive differentiation.

This is a trend seen by Karin Lanigan, Head of Member Experience in Chartered Accountants Ireland:

“I have worked in recruitment for more than 20 years and in recent years, I have noticed a growing trend whereby candidates have become more and more discerning about types of organisations they’ll work for. They are not just considering salary and package; they are looking at the sector, at the reputation of an organisation, and asking themselves ‘will I feel proud if I’m out with my friends on a Friday night to say that I work with whatever the organisation is or whatever the sector is that they are in?’ They want to have sense of pride in their place of work.”

Remember: a commitment to ESG does not have to mean having a large sustainability department or running an eco-business. It can also mean being a firm or company that looks after its employees, provides good training and promotion opportunities, and is active in its local community.

“With ‘measurements’ everyone thinks of ‘carbon footprint’. But it doesn’t have to be. You can measure staff satisfaction through surveys. You can measure employee-turnover and retention or absenteeism. Encourage staff to measure the number of hours they spend giving back to others in the community.”
Teresa Campbell, PKF FKM

Impact on Financial Statements

Preparers and auditors of financial statements should consider the impact on sustainability and climate change on every entity. Quoted companies, and some categories of larger companies have defined obligations to report on the impact of environmental matters on the companies’ businesses. These specific reporting requirements do not apply to private limited companies reporting under FRS 102.

However, climate change and sustainability are major and developing issues that cannot be ignored by anyone. Both IAASA and the FRC have recently commented on matters that they expect to see considered in financial statements. Whilst their comments were largely made in the context of the IFRS framework, much of what they have said is directly applicable to financial statements prepared under FRS 102.

Accountants should consider and report on how climate change has impacted on the assets and liabilities of the company, what additional risks have emerged and whether new or increased provisions are necessary. How has climate change impacted on the estimates and judgements applied, and do these need to be disclosed? Consider such matters as the useful lives of property, plant and equipment. Consider also the impact on impairment assumptions. Does the entity have an obligation to remediate environmental damage caused by any of its activities? Have any of its contracts become onerous, or are they likely to? The financial statements, taken as a whole, should contain sufficient information to be useful to stakeholders, and preparers should avoid the use of non-specific boilerplate. See IAASA’s recent observations on published financial statements.

The Institute will cover these areas in more detail in future issues of Practice Matters, broadcasts of Practice News, and CPD courses.

Some member resources

Find more on the Institute’s Sustainability Hub with resources from articles, podcasts and webinars to a glossary explaining the acronyms and terms.

You can also find tips in the Institute’s guide on Sustainability for Accountants. This free guide for accountants describes what to do – and where to start – to operate sustainably, successfully and cost-effectively.