By: David Solsky, CEO and co-founder, Envizi

Despite the rising prominence of EnvironmentalEnvironmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature., SocialSocial criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. and GovernanceGovernance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights. (ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments.) metrics in the business and investor community, ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. reporting isn’t getting any simpler.

As industry accelerates progress towards decarbonization, the emphasis on high-quality, verifiable, and consistent data will become increasingly important to demonstrate progress. 

In over a decade of supporting organizations on their decarbonization journey, we are constantly reminded that ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. data capture and management present a challenge for many organizations. EnvironmentalEnvironmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature., socialSocial criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. and governanceGovernance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights. metrics such as carbon, energy, waste, water and socialSocial criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. indicators can be difficult to track and report, which makes it challenging to meet compliance and voluntary reporting requirements and puts your organization’s reputation at risk.

ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. reporting is challenging because:

Data is stranded in silos across the business or kept in spreadsheets, which makes it difficult to consolidate for reporting and decision making.Data quality is inconsistent and unreliable. Financial grade reports require confidence in the data and auditability at every step in the process.The time and cost to report sustainability performance is high. Inaccessible and poor-quality data leads to wasted time and effort.Ongoing performance is poorly understood. Without access to consolidated, accurate data, it is difficult to monitor and manage your performance and to track the effectiveness of improvement initiatives.

How a sustainability data analytics platform improves ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. reporting and performance

Within organizations, core business processes are typically managed with the support of a dedicated IT system. In the same way an organization has an accounting system for capturing and reporting financial information, and a HR system for capturing and managing people data and metrics, it makes sense to have a dedicated, specialized software platform to support ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. reporting and performance improvement.

Nowhere is this more important than for the “E” in ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments., which is the most difficult to report and track, and the most essential for organizations looking to reduce their carbon emissions. Whilst many organizations may have systems for tracking socialSocial criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. and governanceGovernance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights. data, greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and sustainability reporting is complex. A sustainability data and analytics platform provides insight to accurate, granular energy data that can be traced back to meters and/or billing data and complies with audit and assurance requirements.

Ensure the system you choose supports a data structure that allows your organization to generate accurate GHG inventories, reflects the latest decisions on emissions boundaries, and generates meaningful reports. Data should be regularly updated to allow comparisons across reporting periods to benchmark performance against targets. Lastly, the approach to data collection and emission calculations should be rooted in internationally accepted standards. Energy data is voluminous, and complex which is why most ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. platforms struggle to support the “E” in ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments.. Look for a system that specializes in sustainability data management and captures “S” and “G” data from existing sources for streamlined reporting.

In summary, here’s a list of features to look for in software designed to help organizations improve ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. reporting and performance:

Automated data captureAudit trails and data health checksHierarchy management toolsSupport for emission factors and carbon accounting methodologiesSupport for reporting schemes and industry standardsAbility to set and recalculate baselinesTarget tracking capabilityAnalytics to identify emissions savings opportunitiesThe ability to interface with existing systems capturing socialSocial criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. and governanceGovernance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights. dataFlexible reporting functionalityGlobal coverage

Getting to grips with data management for GHG accounting and ESGEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. reporting is a key part of any successful decarbonization journey. We created this eBook to help organizations better understand how to use data to support their transition to a low carbon future.

In this eBook we answer how to:

Establish finance-grade sustainability data.Account GHG emissions for reporting and disclosure.Tackle the more complex components of GHG accounting.

About the author:

David Solsky

CEO & Co-Founder

Envizi

A passionate technology entrepreneur, David Solsky is CEO and co-founder of Envizi, a market leader in data and analytics software for sustainability and energy.  Before launching the company in 2008, David spent a decade in the IT industry, building several successful companies in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to this, David spent seven years in the Corporate Finance and Assurance divisions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and this experience helps ensure Envizi’s solutions meet the rigorous information-integrity standards of the corporate sector. David plays a key role in the ongoing design and evolution of Envizi’s technology platform and oversees the development of the company’s global partner channel.

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