Let's talk sustainability Insights - Forvis Mazars

24 January 2025

The vital connection: biodiversity and the economy

In recent years, the world has come to recognise that our economy and biodiversity are deeply intertwined. Biodiversity, which refers to the variety of life on Earth, plays a crucial role in sustaining ecosystems and, by extension, human well-being and economic stability. However, as highlighted by the WWF’s 2022 Living Planet Report, wildlife populations have significantly declined, posing serious...

7 August 2024

ESG trends set to impact POBs

As the call for responsible business gains momentum, privately owned businesses are looking at how to step up their efforts on integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into business models. As new reporting requirements emerge and investors increasingly assess sustainability progress as a pre-requisite for funding, privately owned businesses are under pressure to ensure they...

19 August 2024

A new era for climate risk analysis

A raft of new pledges at COP28 ended the climate summit in Dubai on a positive note in contrast to previous years. However, despite pledges to triple renewables and cut methane emissions, the consequences of global warming remain a huge risk. For companies, the direct impact of climate change on business activities is increasingly evident. In 2022 alone, the reinsurer Munich Re estimated the total...

23 July 2024

How owner-managed businesses are navigating ESG

As sustainability reporting obligations filter down to owner-managed businesses, navigating tough requirements where information and complex data are difficult to access or source is a growing concern.

26 July 2024

Pathways to IFRS sustainability reporting success

As an approach, sustainability reporting offers organisations a framework to re-envisage and repurpose the business model. Importantly, by helping to improve company and investor-specific information, sustainability reporting can be used to inform and enrich strategy.

23 July 2024

How ESG can create value for POBs

With data transparency making it possible to benchmark environmental, social and governance (ESG) awareness, we know businesses that score high on ESG criteria perform better and add value for shareholders.

25 July 2024

A comprehensive review of the CSDDD

Following years of negotiations among EU institutions and Member States, the EU parliament adopted the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) on 24 April 2024. The directive now also needs to be formally endorsed by the Council, signed and published in the EU Official Journal. Member states will have two years to transpose the new rules into their national laws.

16 July 2024

Identifying material risks and opportunities for

Preparers implementing sustainability reporting under the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (IFRS SDS) face various challenges. While broadly similar to those faced using the European Sustainability Reporting Standards ESRS or the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, some variations will occur due to differences in the requirements under IFRS SDS

Guiding for-purpose organisations towards a

Not-for-profit (NFP) entities or for-purpose organisations often have a mission to defend an environmentally or socially oriented cause. For example, an NFP founded to protect biodiversity puts environmental sustainability at the heart of its mission. Therefore, we often assume that NFPs are necessarily very well advanced in their sustainability journey.

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Preparing for climate reporting

Australia has introduced mandatory climate-related disclosures for a large number of companies, whether listed or unlisted. Our research investigates how prepared are small ASX firms to report according to the disclosure standards and provide guidance to help companies meet AASB S2 requirements.

Avoiding greenwashing: ACCC and ASIC

Making environmental and sustainability claims (e.g., eco friendly) expose companies to the risk of greenwashing.

Leveraging COSO principles for ESG reporting

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has published Building Trust in Sustainability Reporting: The Urgent Need for Integrated Internal Control to address the demand for high-quality sustainability reporting and to prepare accountants for mandatory international and jurisdictional reporting and assurance requirements.

Nudges to help organisations embrace ESG

In this report, we aim to help organisations get started on their ESG journey. We leverage Nudge theory from economics to provide practical and actionable examples to help organisations shift towards more sustainable behaviours.

Overview of mandatory climate reporting in AU

Building upon the success of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), climate disclosures are becoming more widespread around the world and Australia is following the trend.

Navigating sustainable real estate

The real estate sector faces increasing demands to significantly change its modus operandi and decarbonise. It has become a priority to drive the sector towards a more positive transformation, which strives to better respond to the ESG criteria. How effective has this transition been so far?

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Sustainable finance practices stocktake

Financial institutions have a leading role to play in shaping our sustainable future, and a strong need to reboot and shift to a more responsible finance model. As a core component of the economy, they bear the responsibility of upholding rigour and resilience in their risk management. With time running out to achieve a move towards nature-positive outcomes, what sustainability progress have banks...

How European ESG changes may affect market access

Australian companies that export cement, iron & steel, aluminium, fertiliser, hydrogen and electricity to the European Union (EU) are on warning. They will need to accelerate their transition to a low-carbon future or risk losing competitiveness; or even access, to the EU market.

Assessing the impact of the CSRD on non-EU groups

The European Union’s (EU) Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) includes an extra-territoriality principle that widens the population of companies subject to sustainability reporting to non-EU groups and their EU subsidiaries. The objective is to maintain a level playing field for all economic players operating in the European market.

ESRS Set 1: What companies should know to prepare

As a framework for sustainability reporting, the first set (“Set 1”) of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) lay the foundations of the standardised common language for sustainability-related matters throughout Europe.

The CEFC - primary producers

Clean energy advancements present significant opportunities for agricultural producers looking to both reduce operational costs and improve the operation's environmental footprint.

Tax concessions: ACCUs & biodiversity certificates

As part of the Government’s COP26 pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and to further encourage carbon abatement activities, a range of tax concessions are effective from 1 July 2022.

Solar panel considerations and funding options

Australia has the highest average solar radiation per square meter of any continent in the world. This means when it comes to solar energy production, Australia has an inherent natural advantage.

Carbon farming eligible projects

Part 1 of the Carbon Farming Series gave an overview of the carbon market, but you may be wondering, how exactly does a farmer sequester or abate carbon? The purpose of this blog is to provide an overview of the common carbon farming projects seen within the market.

Carbon farming - an overview

Post COP26 the Australian government has furthered its commitment to being carbon neutral by 2050, where a crucial contributor in this transformation will be the agricultural industry.

Opportunities for agricultural businesses in the

Australian agricultural landholders are to play an important role in sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, at the same time improving biodiversity and generating alternate income streams for their operations.

Climate-related disclosures in Australia

The Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) is working on reviewing certain sustainability reporting rules (IFRS S1 and S2) and has shared some important information about how companies in Australia will disclose climate-related information.

ESG: where are you on the journey?

As environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues rise in global importance and increasingly dominate the business narrative, the Mazars report 'ESG: where are you on the journey?' sets out choices and pathways for companies of all sizes and sectors as they look to embark on the transition to a more sustainable business model.

Net Zero Authority ESG opportunities

On May 5th, 2023, the Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen from the Albanese Government published a media release on a national Net Zero Authority, which presents further ESG opportunities especially those in Regional Australia.

Banks’ response to climate change risks

Mazars has analysed how 30 of the largest banks worldwide have been handling climate-related financial risks.

Tackling climate change: Mazars – OMFIF report

Mazars and the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) are proud to have come together to produce a global report providing unique insight on current and upcoming financial regulatory evolutions aimed at tackling climate change. What policy adjustments are being undertaken in different jurisdictions around the world to assess and control climate risks? How are these actions likely...

Sustainable, smart, and synchronised

Mature markets are experiencing a shift in consumer demand patterns as consumers move away from traditional products and services towards those consistent with environmental, social, and governance goals. Our study ‘Sustainable, smart, and synchronised’ explains how consumer companies can harness ESG and digital transformation to thrive in this changing environment.

C-suite barometer 2023: ESG insights

With sustainability rising to the top of the C-suite agenda for planned investment, our C-suite ESG insights report explores the current sustainability trends, priorities and challenges for businesses.

A practical guide on sustainability

With societal expectations increasingly permeating corporate governance, companies need to evolve their business models to embrace lasting value creation that benefits not only the shareholders, but also internal and external stakeholders as well as wider society.

ESG reporting - Climate reporting readiness tool

Are you ready for mandatory climate reporting?

Sustainable finance in Australia & Latin America

Sustainability considerations are important to enhance trade and investments between Australia and Latin America. Learn more about sustainable finance taxonomies and climate reporting in these two regions.

Preparing for the TNFD

Half the world’s economic output – around US$44 trillion – is dependent on nature. Yet most corporates, investors and lenders inadequately account for nature-related risks and opportunities.

ESG and climate expertise in the boardroom

Governance is a key pillar of most sustainability frameworks or standards (European Sustainability Reporting Standards - ESRS; IFRS Sustainability Disclosures Standards - SDS).

EU taxonomy regulation

In June 2020, the final text of the Taxonomy Regulation (2020/852) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This regulation created the “European Taxonomy”, a framework aiming to provide a Europe-wide definition of an environmentally sustainable economic activity.

Preparing for the CSDDD

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) obliges large companies to identify, mitigate and, where necessary, remedy human rights and environmental impacts in their operations and ‘chain of activities'.