1) Impact Valuation as a tool for decision-making

Impact Valuation is the method of assessing and valuing the impact of a company’s environmental and social externalities. Also in 2020, Impact Valuation remains a voluntary question in the Corporate Sustainability Assessment, however, S&P Global will reintroduce it in the future. The question goes beyond traditional sustainability reporting by evaluating externalities in a quantitative way or by converting them into monetary values (from inputs to outputs to impacts).

The Dutch postal company PostNL demonstrated that a practical approach to impact valuation in two pilot projects has enabled the company to demonstrate their business case in terms of economic, environmental and social impact.

2) ESG Investment Trends 

S&P Global elaborated on their acquisition of the ESG Ratings and Benchmarking business from RobecoSAM, and the increasing reach and application of CSA data across S&P Global's products.

3) Elevating Human Resource Management to a strategic business partner

HR deserves a seat at the decision-making table - since companies need the right skill-set to deliver on corporate strategy. By collecting and understanding specific data, HR can demonstrate the return on employee development investment and develop a strong company culture with engaged employees. Measuring the company's specific culture of sustainability can be a strong tool to identify main barriers to further accelerate ESG performance.

4) Taking a mature approach to Climate Strategy

Most industries are likely to be impacted by climate change, albeit to a varying degree; consequently, they face a need to design strategies commensurate to the scale of the challenge for their industry. S&P's assessment is aligned with CDP and focuses on the company's ability to identify business risks and opportunities associated with a changing climate, as well as the methods that the company applies to address these.

Industry Leader Telenet explained its approach to tackling climate challenges by addressing the most important sources of greenhouse gas emissions in collaboration with internal and external partners.  

Getting ready for take-off

Incorporating key dates in internal planning and preparation will help companies to complete the CSA with confidence. We particularly recommend informing internal topic owners and read up on this year's methodology changes. Furthermore, the seven guiding principles from the book Winning Sustainability Strategies can lead companies in developing focus and executing change in the long term. If your organization is looking to improve its sustainability performance, please contact Josée van der Hoek, Director and DJSI expert at josee@finchandbeak.com or call +34 6 82 04 83 01.