Environmental, social and governance advisory

RSM designed their ESG Rapid Assessment to meet you where you are in your environmental, social and governance (ESG) journey. This assessment can help you formalize and align your ESG mandate with corporate values and strengthen your stakeholder engagement strategy. It can also help define your current-state capabilities to track and report ESG information using relevant frameworks like The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) or the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).

Creating an ESG report can be daunting. The process may require additional support to ensure proper alignment to a recognized sustainability reporting framework, such as TCFD, GRI or SASB. We have experience developing these reports for organizations of all sizes, industries and ESG maturity levels.

RSM works with your company to navigate your greenhouse gas journey, leveraging industry-leading practices, guidance and frameworks like the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol to develop robust Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions inventories. We also prepare for disclosure and audit. RSM can create strategies for your global climate goals and align them to external organizations like Science Based Targets Initiatives (SBTi) or CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project).

Not all companies are ready to hire a full-time chief sustainability officer (CSO), but they can still benefit from their knowledge and skills. Our ESG program development and CSO outsourcing services leverage our experienced professionals to guide your ESG function, allowing you to achieve your goals and enabling your team to stay focused on core business activities.

RSM’s approach to ESG due diligence is rooted in industry best practices. We leverage our network of industry analysts to provide insights into trends and competitive landscapes, allowing us to identify significant ESG integration mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions and material ESG risks associated with the transactions. We also assess the adequacy of the consideration and pricing of ESG risks, and we recommend risk mitigation efforts to navigate the evolving ESG regulatory landscape.

Technology can improve or introduce new capabilities, like ESG data management platforms or sustainability performance management systems. Technology can free up capacity and accelerate the integration of ESG into your operational processes. With ESG, however, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. RSM takes a provider-agnostic approach to determine the most value-accretive and fit-for-purpose ESG technology solutions for your organization. The examples below are not an exhaustive list, but solutions can include the following:

1. AuditBoard
2. Microsoft Sustainability Manager/Cloud for Sustainability
3. ESG reporting for NetSuite
4. Workiva
5. ServiceNow ESG
6. Equifax

RSM professionals assess whether your organization’s processes, systems and controls support the accurate, complete and reliable reporting of ESG information according to recognized ESG frameworks, such as TCFD or the GHG Protocol. They also strive to help your company become audit-ready for any third-party assurance expectation, whether limited or full.

Our total return on investment (TROI) methodology can quantify measures that may not have a monetary valuation, which is common with many sustainability efforts. Additionally, RSM’s proprietary technology and methodology/allow your company to weigh the potential success of various initiatives and manage an effective ESG strategy. The goal is for your company to improve its sustainability ratings and navigate the growing market for sustainable finance.