ESG Advisory Services as a Catalyst for Value Creation

Few would dispute that the practice of environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure has transformed. What has historically been a voluntary, peripheral and loosely governed discipline for many businesses has over recent years evolved towards a mandatory, business-critical and tightly controlled reporting exercise.

Parallel developments have driven this shift: the convergence of demands from regulators, business partners, investors and consumers for ESG transparency, and the progression of standards, frameworks and best practices for supplying that transparency.

For businesses, effectively navigating evolving ESG disclosure requirements can create business value (see Box 1). Yet many companies lack internal capabilities to do so, and may struggle to maintain pace.

Box 1: ESG value drivers

Risk mitigation

Developing ESG intelligence, for example by conducting a double materiality assessment, provides extraordinary insights into the impacts of a business across the value chain and how these impacts precipitate financial risks and opportunities.

Cost reduction

Developing ESG strategies, through establishing a decarbonization roadmap for example, can reveal operational efficiencies that reduce expenditure across a variety of categories at no additional cost.

Revenue growth

Enhancing ESG ratings, such as through disclosing to the CDP climate change questionnaire, can increase appeal to business partners and investors, potentially contributing to additional orders or capital injection to fuel growth.

Such companies can and often do turn to advisory service providers for ESG disclosure support. Indeed, the market for such services is expanding rapidly: research from industry analysis firm Verdantix shows that the global market spend on ESG and sustainability consulting reached $11.5 billion USD in 2022, and will likely grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27% to exceed $48 billion USD by 2028.

In a growing market served by a proliferation of providers, selecting the right advisory firm for your company can be daunting. Key criteria to consider in the decision-making process should include duration of service, competency of staff, continuity of capabilities and/or connectedness to other services.

Against such criteria, UL Solutions ESG Advisory Services are differentiated by virtue of being active in the ESG domain for over 20 years, with highly technical staff delivering impact across key ESG management priorities (see Box 2). In addition, with market-leading ESG reporting software available, the data provided can be operationalized.

Whether your company has emerging, maturing or leading ESG management capabilities, navigating solo through the world of ESG strategies, including establishing goals, identifying material ESG topics, managing disclosure targets and meeting compliance requirements, can be challenging.

UL Solutions recognizes that businesses turning to advisory services often do so for catalytic effect, and, therefore, value pragmatic and transferable guidance that can empower internal capabilities and ready them to navigate future ESG transformations with or without continued external assistance. UL Solutions understands that all advisory engagements must address this need and that customer involvement and enablement are central to delivery approaches.