Sustainability & ESG
Helping you with your compliance and assurance issues around Sustainability – Environmental, Social and Governance
Our Services
A Green House Gas (GHG) accounting exercise quantifies the climate impact of your organisation’s business activities. It is a necessary pre-requisite for contracting with many larger organisations, and involves calculating, recording, and reporting the emissions that occur throughout your value chain.
The GHG Protocol is the most widely used accounting standard and has four steps
- setting boundaries
- collecting data
- calculating your emissions
- verification and reporting
We can help you with this, set up management systems so the information is more easily captured in the future, and in addition help you to create an emissions reduction glidepath that looks to create value and reduce costs.
We will work with you to provide specialist climate advisory services to meet your regulatory needs (e.g. climate-related financial disclosures) and build climate resilience.
Climate change has a wide range of possible impacts on businesses - both direct (physical damage and operational disruptions, for instance) and indirect such as increased operating costs, regulatory changes, market shifts and liability risks.
As a result, regulations require larger businesses to disclose their climate risks, and investors look for this sort of analysis during the purchase or sale of businesses. Almost all businesses can benefit, from transportation and logistics and real estate through to tourism, healthcare and retail.
We can help you with these disclosures, building resilience against risks and formulating strategies to enhance business opportunities.
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is the regulation that requires large companies and listed companies in the EU to disclose information on their ESG impacts. The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) are the detailed reporting standards that companies must follow to comply with the CSRD.
Companies (starting 2025) must digitally disclose and report on their sustainability impacts, risks, and opportunities (IROs). This covers the entire relevant/material topics across ESG aspects and involves classifying activities, assessing IROs, and disclosing relevant information. Typically, the first step is to undertake a double materiality assessment to identify material ESG topics across the value chain engaging with all relevant key stakeholders.
The ESRS comprises of 12 different standards across General (2), Environment (5), Social (4) and Governance (1), and 82 reporting requirements, leading to 500 KPIs, with 10000+ underlying data points. The reported information must be assured to a ‘limited’ level by an independent party, with ‘reasonable’ assurance by 2028 and must be reported via the European Single Electronic Format (ESEF), which involves tagging data.
We can help you with this, and will do so with our 4-step approach:
Business context - strategy, finances, customers, goods/services, employees, value chain and stakeholder mapping to develop a business map and determine priorities, risk appetite, market landscape, ambition of sustainability and EU Taxonomy assessment.
Double materiality assessment - as per ESRS to filter through a mix of surveys, focus groups and workshops. Findings analysed with scale and scope defined.
Gap analysis - Future-back approach where core problem is defined, risks and opportunities identified and ‘art of the possible’ approach aligned to business strategy with governance, capability and data assessment conducted and projects scoped.
Implement and report - priorities and owners of key actions assigned and timeframe agreed (E.g. GHG Accounting year 1, decarbonisation plan year 2, TCFD year 3) with vision, alignment and guidance to meet compliance requirements, smooth financial planning and costs minimised.
The transition to a more sustainable world requires significant capital reallocation and financing opportunities.
We work with our clients to set ESG policies and procedures for investment funds and developing business cases for sustainable investing opportunities aligned to your strategic objectives and regulatory requirements.
We work with private equity firms to define their ESG strategy, embed ESG risks and sustainability factors throughout the investment process from fund setup to Due Diligence to investment period and creating value on exit.
We work with financial markets and corporations to define transparent and clear rigorous processes to help allocate finance for sustainable initiatives. These includes creating a framework, criteria and terms to setup sustainability-linked loans.
Key ESG disclosures include: SFDR, SDR, TCFD, UNPRI, CDP, SASB, IDP, EDCI, UN SDGs, etc.
Undertaking an ESG Due Diligence is crucial for companies seeking finance or owners wishing to prepare for an exit. Adopting a rigorous approach, we assess existing sustainability practices and identify potential risks and opportunities. Our approach encompasses three-steps:
- assessing material ESG practices
- customer and competitor landscape to benchmark performance
- identifying risks and opportunity levers material to the business model and strategy
Undertaking an ESG Due Diligence will help detect issues which might cause delay and provides reassurance to potential investors attracted to your value-creation opportunity. The exercise enhances risk management and enables your focus to be on creating value against a backdrop of satisfying evolving ESG regulations and stakeholder expectations.
Our Sustainability health check will evaluate your current ESG practices and identify gaps or areas for improvement. We work with you to define what is material to your organisation so that it aligns with your strategy, commercial drivers and stakeholders. This is aligned with industry best practice such as Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) materiality.
Areas of focus:
- energy efficiency
- environmental impact
- social responsibility
- employee retention and turnover
- diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I).
A review of corporate governance structures will encompass
- transparency
- ethical decision-making
- alignment with sustainability principles.
Helping economic resilience in terms of financial stability, risk management, and long-term viability.
A sustainable company will balance economic success with environmental and social responsibility.
Assessing potential risks and developing mitigation strategies for long-term sustainability.
- Identifying relevant ESG risks
Both internal and external relating to your industry or market sector – specifically regulations, but also trends and stakeholder expectations. Risks include:
- Environmental risks- carbon emissions requirements, climate change, pollution
- Social risks- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), community engagement, employee practices
- Governance risks – executive compensation, Board governance
- Assessing materiality
Not everything relevant is material (significant enough to focus on and dedicate resources to). Materiality depends on factors such as impact on financial performance, reputation, and stakeholder interests. Risks can then be prioritised based on their potential consequences.
- Data collection and analysis
Gathering relevant data on ESG risks can be time-consuming – we have trialled the best available software and can recommend and help implement the best solution for you, allowing you to keep control over your data including financial data, operational metrics, and qualitative information. We can also help you analyse the data to assess the severity and likelihood of each risk.
- Risk mapping and scenario analysis
Creating risk maps to visualise the relationship between different risks and their potential impact and conducting scenario analysis to assess how regulatory changes and natural disasters, for instance, would affect your organisation.
- Risk mitigation strategies
Develop strategies to mitigate identified risks. These may include:
- Implementing policies and procedures
- Setting targets for reducing environmental impact
- Strengthening governance practices
- Engaging with stakeholders
- Investing in sustainable practices
- Integration into decision making
Embedding ESG risk considerations into your decision-making processes will ensure that ESG risks are considered alongside financial risks when evaluating investments, projects, and strategic initiatives.
- Reporting and transparency
Finally, we can help with communicating your ESG risk management efforts to stakeholders through ESG Impact reports, annual reports, and other channels.
Assistance in preparing ESG reports including ESG/ Sustainability Impact Reports, data books and disclosures. Advice on ensuring compliance with all applicable or relevant standards, guidelines and supplier requests.
The number of reporting requirements grows longer each year, as does the number of organisations ‘caught’. For example:
The UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS)
The UK SRS are based on the global corporate reporting baseline of IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards – both
- IFRS S1: General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information, and
- IFRS S2: Climate-related Disclosures)
The UK government plans to endorse these standards by Quarter 1, 2025, for accounting periods commencing 1 January 2026.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Will use the UK's endorsed standards to introduce requirements for UK-listed companies to report sustainability-related information to investors. Companies outside the FCA's regulatory perimeter will also have disclosure requirements based on the endorsed standards.
Key disclosures include: IFRS S1 and S2 (TCFD); ESRS; SFDR; SDR; CDP; EcoVadis; GRI
Achieving a sustainable supply chain involves
- Accounting for the entire footprint of operations including:
- sustainability practices
- carbon emissions
- sourcing and production of materials and waste.
- Supplier surveys with tabulated results including:
- response rate
- key reduction activities being undertaken
- supplier pain points around measuring emissions and,
- assistance that can be given to suppliers.
- Outputs include:
- supplier code of conduct policies
- procurement pathways
- infographic summary of supply chain carbon survey results (if applicable) and commitments.
Educating employees and management on Environmental Social and Governance concepts and building internal capacity to manage ESG initiatives.
Our training includes Carbon Literacy and can also encompass creating and leading internal stretegy roadmap workshops. These will help to clarify and agree both the level of ambition for your oganisation and which ambitions might be communicated externally.
A Green House Gas (GHG) accounting exercise quantifies the climate impact of your organisation’s business activities. It is a necessary pre-requisite for contracting with many larger organisations, and involves calculating, recording, and reporting the emissions that occur throughout your value chain.
The GHG Protocol is the most widely used accounting standard and has four steps
- setting boundaries
- collecting data
- calculating your emissions
- verification and reporting
We can help you with this, set up management systems so the information is more easily captured in the future, and in addition help you to create an emissions reduction glidepath that looks to create value and reduce costs.
We will work with you to provide specialist climate advisory services to meet your regulatory needs (e.g. climate-related financial disclosures) and build climate resilience.
Climate change has a wide range of possible impacts on businesses - both direct (physical damage and operational disruptions, for instance) and indirect such as increased operating costs, regulatory changes, market shifts and liability risks.
As a result, regulations require larger businesses to disclose their climate risks, and investors look for this sort of analysis during the purchase or sale of businesses. Almost all businesses can benefit, from transportation and logistics and real estate through to tourism, healthcare and retail.
We can help you with these disclosures, building resilience against risks and formulating strategies to enhance business opportunities.
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is the regulation that requires large companies and listed companies in the EU to disclose information on their ESG impacts. The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) are the detailed reporting standards that companies must follow to comply with the CSRD.
Companies (starting 2025) must digitally disclose and report on their sustainability impacts, risks, and opportunities (IROs). This covers the entire relevant/material topics across ESG aspects and involves classifying activities, assessing IROs, and disclosing relevant information. Typically, the first step is to undertake a double materiality assessment to identify material ESG topics across the value chain engaging with all relevant key stakeholders.
The ESRS comprises of 12 different standards across General (2), Environment (5), Social (4) and Governance (1), and 82 reporting requirements, leading to 500 KPIs, with 10000+ underlying data points. The reported information must be assured to a ‘limited’ level by an independent party, with ‘reasonable’ assurance by 2028 and must be reported via the European Single Electronic Format (ESEF), which involves tagging data.
We can help you with this, and will do so with our 4-step approach:
Business context - strategy, finances, customers, goods/services, employees, value chain and stakeholder mapping to develop a business map and determine priorities, risk appetite, market landscape, ambition of sustainability and EU Taxonomy assessment.
Double materiality assessment - as per ESRS to filter through a mix of surveys, focus groups and workshops. Findings analysed with scale and scope defined.
Gap analysis - Future-back approach where core problem is defined, risks and opportunities identified and ‘art of the possible’ approach aligned to business strategy with governance, capability and data assessment conducted and projects scoped.
Implement and report - priorities and owners of key actions assigned and timeframe agreed (E.g. GHG Accounting year 1, decarbonisation plan year 2, TCFD year 3) with vision, alignment and guidance to meet compliance requirements, smooth financial planning and costs minimised.
The transition to a more sustainable world requires significant capital reallocation and financing opportunities.
We work with our clients to set ESG policies and procedures for investment funds and developing business cases for sustainable investing opportunities aligned to your strategic objectives and regulatory requirements.
We work with private equity firms to define their ESG strategy, embed ESG risks and sustainability factors throughout the investment process from fund setup to Due Diligence to investment period and creating value on exit.
We work with financial markets and corporations to define transparent and clear rigorous processes to help allocate finance for sustainable initiatives. These includes creating a framework, criteria and terms to setup sustainability-linked loans.
Key ESG disclosures include: SFDR, SDR, TCFD, UNPRI, CDP, SASB, IDP, EDCI, UN SDGs, etc.
Undertaking an ESG Due Diligence is crucial for companies seeking finance or owners wishing to prepare for an exit. Adopting a rigorous approach, we assess existing sustainability practices and identify potential risks and opportunities. Our approach encompasses three-steps:
- assessing material ESG practices
- customer and competitor landscape to benchmark performance
- identifying risks and opportunity levers material to the business model and strategy
Undertaking an ESG Due Diligence will help detect issues which might cause delay and provides reassurance to potential investors attracted to your value-creation opportunity. The exercise enhances risk management and enables your focus to be on creating value against a backdrop of satisfying evolving ESG regulations and stakeholder expectations.
Our Sustainability health check will evaluate your current ESG practices and identify gaps or areas for improvement. We work with you to define what is material to your organisation so that it aligns with your strategy, commercial drivers and stakeholders. This is aligned with industry best practice such as Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) materiality.
Areas of focus:
- energy efficiency
- environmental impact
- social responsibility
- employee retention and turnover
- diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I).
A review of corporate governance structures will encompass
- transparency
- ethical decision-making
- alignment with sustainability principles.
Helping economic resilience in terms of financial stability, risk management, and long-term viability.
A sustainable company will balance economic success with environmental and social responsibility.
Assessing potential risks and developing mitigation strategies for long-term sustainability.
- Identifying relevant ESG risks
Both internal and external relating to your industry or market sector – specifically regulations, but also trends and stakeholder expectations. Risks include:
- Environmental risks- carbon emissions requirements, climate change, pollution
- Social risks- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), community engagement, employee practices
- Governance risks – executive compensation, Board governance
- Assessing materiality
Not everything relevant is material (significant enough to focus on and dedicate resources to). Materiality depends on factors such as impact on financial performance, reputation, and stakeholder interests. Risks can then be prioritised based on their potential consequences.
- Data collection and analysis
Gathering relevant data on ESG risks can be time-consuming – we have trialled the best available software and can recommend and help implement the best solution for you, allowing you to keep control over your data including financial data, operational metrics, and qualitative information. We can also help you analyse the data to assess the severity and likelihood of each risk.
- Risk mapping and scenario analysis
Creating risk maps to visualise the relationship between different risks and their potential impact and conducting scenario analysis to assess how regulatory changes and natural disasters, for instance, would affect your organisation.
- Risk mitigation strategies
Develop strategies to mitigate identified risks. These may include:
- Implementing policies and procedures
- Setting targets for reducing environmental impact
- Strengthening governance practices
- Engaging with stakeholders
- Investing in sustainable practices
- Integration into decision making
Embedding ESG risk considerations into your decision-making processes will ensure that ESG risks are considered alongside financial risks when evaluating investments, projects, and strategic initiatives.
- Reporting and transparency
Finally, we can help with communicating your ESG risk management efforts to stakeholders through ESG Impact reports, annual reports, and other channels.
Assistance in preparing ESG reports including ESG/ Sustainability Impact Reports, data books and disclosures. Advice on ensuring compliance with all applicable or relevant standards, guidelines and supplier requests.
The number of reporting requirements grows longer each year, as does the number of organisations ‘caught’. For example:
The UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS)
The UK SRS are based on the global corporate reporting baseline of IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards – both
- IFRS S1: General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information, and
- IFRS S2: Climate-related Disclosures)
The UK government plans to endorse these standards by Quarter 1, 2025, for accounting periods commencing 1 January 2026.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Will use the UK's endorsed standards to introduce requirements for UK-listed companies to report sustainability-related information to investors. Companies outside the FCA's regulatory perimeter will also have disclosure requirements based on the endorsed standards.
Key disclosures include: IFRS S1 and S2 (TCFD); ESRS; SFDR; SDR; CDP; EcoVadis; GRI
Achieving a sustainable supply chain involves
- Accounting for the entire footprint of operations including:
- sustainability practices
- carbon emissions
- sourcing and production of materials and waste.
- Supplier surveys with tabulated results including:
- response rate
- key reduction activities being undertaken
- supplier pain points around measuring emissions and,
- assistance that can be given to suppliers.
- Outputs include:
- supplier code of conduct policies
- procurement pathways
- infographic summary of supply chain carbon survey results (if applicable) and commitments.
Educating employees and management on Environmental Social and Governance concepts and building internal capacity to manage ESG initiatives.
Our training includes Carbon Literacy and can also encompass creating and leading internal stretegy roadmap workshops. These will help to clarify and agree both the level of ambition for your oganisation and which ambitions might be communicated externally.
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We engaged with Oury Clark to expand our business into the UK. I have no hesitations in recommending OC to any company looking for professional services. They have been a key strategic driver in our expansion, with quality communication, timely service, and world-class support. I recommend any business looking for professional services they can have confidence in, to partner with Oury Clark.
I have been working with Nick Parsk and his team at Oury Clark on a company liquidation, they have been so professional throughout. They provide clear and concise advice, they are always reactive to questions and have made everything feel straightforward. I can’t recommend them enough if you need highly experienced advice, guidance and exceptional service. Oury Clark is outstanding in every way.
We have been consistently impressed with the speed and quality of Oury Clark’s help and advice since we switched from a different firm of accountants in 2022. We know we can rely on Oury Clark as our business grows and expands into new markets.
We are very lucky to have the Oury Clark team as a major service partner using multiple services to support our company. Their advice and legal counsel has always been our first port of call, with confidence we are able to navigate complex issues and find resolution knowing we have the backing of a strong partner.
The team are very approachable and make sure all team members are firstly heard as well as understand issues and consequences. No problem has ever been too big or small for the team. I would highly recommend the entire service suite of Oury Clark especially if you are looking for a partner who cares about your company and your team.
I wanted to express my view of Oury Clark and particularly Nick Parsk.
Throughout my dealings, Oury Clark has been a pleasure to work with from the very first contact we made with the team. All staff members are friendly, quick to respond and provide sound advice. The team showed great care and professionalism towards our business. I highly recommend Nick Parsk and his team at Oury Clark. Nick has provided a combination of excellent service, accurate and timely advice, plus the trust of knowing that they “have our back”, leads me to recommend Nick and his team without hesitation.
As the SVP of People for a fast-growing tech company with employees in the U.S., Canada, as we launched our new office in the UK, I needed a partner in the UK who is nimble, savvy, and knowledgeable. My team did their research and spoke to a number of companies in the global employment space and Oury Clark came out on top. As promised during our initial meetings, in the 18 months since we signed, the partnership has been incredibly successful. Our payroll is flawless, our benefits are competitive and easy to onboard, and all of our employment matters have been addressed with a pragmatic and skilled approach. They’re highly responsive – I never have to wait more than a business day for a response and I’m a full day behind in time zones. I recommend them without reservations!
The collaboration with Oury Clark is going perfectly for us. Especially if you are not familiar with the labour law of a country, you need a reliable and competent partner, which we have found in Oury Clark. In addition to the competent and comprehensive guidance as well as the holistic service, our contact persons are always very friendly and helpful at all times.
The team at Oury Clark has been instrumental with our business set up and expansion into the UK from our base in Australia. The experience, knowledge and peace of mind the team brings allow us to focus on our core business while still gaining insight from a trusted source on how to operate in a new market.
We just finished a lengthy tax situation that Oury handled for us. They were amazing, as it took three months, covered a lot of financial ground but Oury was there every step of the way advising us. Our email questions/Zoom calls were helpful and timely. We were so impressed with their service we are continuing our relationship with tax reporting in the future. Thank you Emma and a special thanks to Matthew also!
Despite continually shifting sands, the OC (Philippa?) team helped us navigate with their clear steer and perspective, enabling us to land the investment within a very tight deadline.
Approachable, pragmatic, dedicated, and responsive. What more could you ask for?!
Oury Clark provided a really fantastic service on my MVL. Everything went very smoothly and I really appreciated their attention to detail and most importantly their flexibility to cope with the unique challenges of my business. I would strongly recommend them!
Being a small business it’s important to us that our partners are equally nimble and able to advise on the twists and turns of running a startup. That’s exactly what we get from Oury Clark – the team are efficient, creative and always professional to work with”
I have had a pleasure of working with Nick Parsk from Oury Clark on a number of transactions, and have always found them to be very professional, but most of all their deep and broad understanding of all issues not just from a technical point of view, but also commercial, is what sets them apart in my view. I can not recommend them enough,
Oury Clark have been supporting the First AML business operations since we entered the UK market in early 2022. Their guidance and assistance throughout our launch was thorough, and they continue to support our business across a variety of functions, always providing high-quality advice. Oury Clark are reliable, and we would highly recommend their team.
Oury Clark has been a pleasure to work with from the very first contact we made with the team. All staff members are friendly, quick to respond and provide sound advice. The team shows care towards our business and no question is too small or big. I highly recommend the team at Oury Clark.
Oury Clark has been a pleasure to work with from the very first contact we made with the team. All staff members are friendly, quick to respond and provide sound advice. The team shows care towards our business and no question is too small or big. I highly recommend the team at Oury Clark.
Oury Clark has a unique setup of having both lawyers and accountants. They are commercially savvy and have done fantastic work for us as a growing start-up.
OC keeps things simple, explain complicated legal concepts without using jargon and make it easy for founders to understand. This has saved us copious amount of time.
We’ve chosen Oury Clark because they take the time to make sure we totally understand everything we are faced with and we sign. Legal negotiations and documents can be often really daunting and overwhelming, especially if one has no previous experience with legal jargon. Philippa/Oury Clark help us understand everything, offer invaluable advice on how to navigate negotiations and ultimately, aid us to efficiently achieve results.
We were introduced to OuryClark in 2015 while contemplating establishing a presence in the UK. They subsequently helped us with all aspects of setting up, which led to a successful market entry and our listing on the LSE AIM market in 2018. It is no exaggeration to say that OuryClark have been invaluable to our international journey. A combination of excellent service, accurate and timely advice, plus the trust in knowing that they “have our back”, leads me to recommend them without hesitation.
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