Sustainability

Sustainability is gaining more and more importance in the business strategy of companies.

It is clear that this is an irreversible evolution. All companies, including those not listed on the stock exchange, have a long-term interest in including ESG in their business strategy, even if they are not always obliged to do so purely by regulation.

ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance and refers to the three factors used to measure the sustainable, environmental and social effects of investments.

Our “Sustainability” unit informs and assists companies on the following themes:

1. Sustainability, Due diligence and M&A

We need now more than Accounting to measure and value the business.
Boost opportunities and mitigate risks in Mergers & Acquisitions operations.
With our “Sustainability” unit, know better what you buy, and get a secured “buy in”

“Save time and resources – Avoid risks in M&A operations.”

Sustainability means profitability:

• C-suite leaders and investment professionals said they would “be willing to pay about a 10 percent median premium to acquire a company with a positive record for ESG issues over one with a negative record,” when surveyed by McKinsey in July of 2019
• Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues are affecting M&A deals, from driving the deal to valuing the target.

2. Greenwashing litigation

Companies are not operating in standalone anymore and have to operate in a changing legal background with Taxonomy and new regulations.
Our “Sustainability” unit defends your reputation by double checking your Public Relations strategy and protecting your Social License to Operate (SLO).

“Your stakeholders are watching you…”

Six greenwashing sins companies should avoid according to Greenbiz:

• Sin of the hidden trade-off: for example, mentioning paper is recycled without disclosing the environmental costs of producing the product;
• Sin of no proof: failing to provide easily accessible evidence that a product is green;
• Sin of vagueness: any claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the intended consumer, such as chemical free, all natural
• Sin of irrelevance: claims that may be truthful but are unimportant and unhelpful for consumers, such as “CFC-free” products, as ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons have been outlawed since the late 1980s;
• Sin of lesser of two evils: environmental claims that may be true but that risk distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impacts of the category as a whole, such as organic tobacco or green insecticides
• Sin of fibbing: claims that are simply false, typically by misusing or misrepresenting certification by an independent authority when no such certification had been made.

3. Preserve access to loans and finance

“Understand the next shifts for your business…”

Be ready for the sustainability-linked loans, secure your access to the finance and credit markets.
Our “Sustainability” unit is closely watching at the new taxonomy & change in regulatory (European Union Green Deal, Loi Pacte,…).

4. Avoid stranded assets negative impact

The climate change leads to a new legal background, the investments of today can have less or no value tomorrow.

“Your next investments are at stake…”

Our “Sustainability” unit provides you additional analysis with external glance in your business, helping you in making and/or securing your investment decisions, taking into account the following elements:

• Environmental challenges (e.g. natural capital degradation),
• New government regulations (e.g. carbon pricing, air pollution regulation),
• Falling clean-technology costs (e.g. solar & wind energies, electric vehicles),
• Evolving social norms (e.g. fossil fuel divestment campaign) and consumer behavior (e.g. certification schemes).

5. United Nations sustainable development goals

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are rapidly becoming the international framework for forward-looking, ethical strategies.

Our “Sustainability” unit reveals how your strategy relates to the greater journey of humankind to 2030, and the sense of urgency that exists for us to take immediate steps to mitigate climate change.