Sustainability Frameworks
Standards we work to most - and why they matter
The landscape of sustainability standards is complex and fast-moving. We cut through it so you know exactly which apply to your business, and what the commercial implications are. Keeping track of them all and even interpreting the alphabet soup of acronyms can be onerous. Here are some of the frequently occurring ones we’re asked to support with.
Procurement and social value
PPN 006 - Carbon Reduction Plans
The most common cited requirement in procurement responses. A required of many public sector contracts Suppliers must publish a Carbon Reduction Plan covering Scope 1, 2 and material Scope 3 categories.
PPN 002 - Social value
A frequent requirement in procurement responses. A requirement of many public sector contracts. Suppliers must propose, deliver, measurement and reporting of social, economic and environmental contributions arising from their delivery of specific contracts.
NHS Evergreen
The NHS supplier sustainability self-assessment tool. Increasingly referenced in NHS procurement evaluation criteria – by NHS Supply Chain and Trusts.
Climate and risk disclosure
IFRS S1 - General sustainability disclosures
Sets requirements for identifying and addressing material sustainability related risks and opportunities across all topics. The global baseline for disclosure. Primarily target large listed companies, financial institutions, and businesses with significant capital-raising or cross border exposure. Even where not legally mandatory, investors, insurers and clients increasingly expect IFRS-aligned disclosure regardless.
IFRS S2 - Climate-related disclosures/ TCFD
Builds on TCFD. Requires disclosure of physical and transition climate risks, scenario analysis and resilience planning. We are increasingly seeing this as a client expectation for Business to Business supply chains.
UK SRS S1 & S2
The FCA endorsed UK equivalents of IFRS S1/S2. Expected to apply to UK listed companies and large private businesses. Currently in consultation.
CSRD - Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
EU regulation requiring double materiality disclosure across environmental, social and governance topics. Affects UK businesses with EU operations or customers.
Certification and voluntary reporting frameworks
B Corp Certification
Holistic assessment of social and environmental performance, governance and transparency. Well established as a trusted consumer certification, Iicreasingly valued by enterprise buyers and investors.
EcoVadis
Supply chain sustainability rating used by large corporates to assess suppliers. A bronze rating or above is increasingly a condition of doing business. Increasingly used by others to evidence competence and progress through the levels which are based on percentiles of companies assessed in previous 12 months, so the bar is ever rising.
ISO standards
There are many in the space. All demonstrate you have a systematic approach, governance, management control and ongoing improvement. Specific ISO’s we have and are supporting include 14001, 20121, 14064, 20400, 26000 and more are in development.
GRI standards
Global Reporting Initiative – the most widely used framework for voluntary ESG disclosure and our go to metric source for many years.
Aren’t there more? Certainly are. Some others are fairly niche or targeted at larger corporates e.g. CDP.
How we think about standards
Standards multiply. Obligations shift. Our job is to help you focus on what’s actually material to your business, and how best to engage with the people you care about. Not to gold plate reporting for its own sake.
We lead with commercial relevance
Before recommending a framework, we ask: will this protect revenue, maintain or increase margins, reduce risk, support product development or open new markets? If not, we’re not going to offer it up.
We don’t over-engineer
Most businesses don’t need FTSE 100 level disclosure programmes. We build what’s proportionate and scalable as obligations grow.
We watch what’s coming
UK SRS is in development. Packaging taxes are evolving. We track the pipeline so our clients are ahead of requirements, not scrambling to catch up.
We integrate
Procurement, risk, assurance and measurement frameworks often interact. We join the dots so you’re not managing them in silos.