Assurance services in Sustainability

The world is constantly evolving with the need to fulfill the requirements of the world and humanity. Particularly, sustainability has become an integral part of the whole ecosystem which is involved from start to end. Hence, corporate companies are auditing their production practices & controls by improving their process and reducing their carbon footprint. As a result, investors, corporates, and manufacturers are realizing the importance of Assurance Services. The services have become an essential component of every company’s context.

With the increasing demand for companies to investigate their SOPs, leaders, and CEOs are feeling the need to perform an assessment process of their company. First, what are Assurance Services? The services are a one-of-a-kind assessment of the company’s requirements and procedures. Assurance seeks to decrease information risk by improving the condition or viewpoint of the evidence. The evaluation is the first step in determining the benefits and disadvantages of their functionality by accounting experts who are certified practitioners who supply such services. By lowering risks, targeted consumers might avoid making dangerous decisions. As a result, assurance improves users’ capacity to make smart judgments, such as investors and analysts.

These services are critical for the company’s survival and growth in the marketplace; some of the reasons for this are as follows:

 

• Assurance boosts information quality, promoting better and faster decisions.
• It has five major components: connection, content, criteria, evidence, and conclusion.

The aim of attaining a strategy for sustainability differs from company to company and across sectors. As a result, the assurance services required will differ based on their needs. It also differs by whom do you want for performing these services, is it someone capable of doing it from inside your company or you want to hire someone else from outside your network? Based on it, auditors are classified as External auditors and Internal Auditor which is explained below.

External Auditor– The risks are evaluated by an external third-party consultant or service provider. They work independently without any pressure and provide all insights.

Internal Auditor– Here the assessment is completed by a person from the company who can do it. Internal, the person may ignore the specific situations going on in the company under the pressure of superiors.

Types of Assurance services in ESG

 

Here are the various types of assurance services which can be used by companies based on their requirements.

Recently, the IAASB framework has set out two types of assurance engagements that can be applied to ESG. These are Reasonable and Limited Assurance.

There are several similarities between the two types of assurance. It requires the key points of an assurance engagement. The assurance provider will design their activity on the same risk premise and will specify degrees of materiality to utilize in assessing test results for both reasonable and limited assurance engagements.

However, there are some significant differences between the two types of assurance that are frequently misquoted or disregarded. The table below compares the two types.

 

	Reasonable Assurance	Limited Assurance
Type of Assurance obtained	When the danger of a major misrepresentation of the subject matter has been minimized to a low level, this form of assurance is attained. To do this, the assurance provider needs to carry out several steps.	When the danger of a major inaccuracy of the subject has been decreased by the collection of evidence, but not to the low level needed by reasonable assurance, this form of assurance is reached. To do this, the assurance provider conducts tests that are different or fewer than those necessary for reasonable assurance or employs limited sample sizes for the tests conducted.
Information obtained	The assurance provider gathers adequate evidence to verify that the subject meets the requirements. This is the kind of assurance necessary in an auditing process when the auditor validates that the financial statements are presented fairly.	The assurance provider’s conclusion gives assurance as to how the topic meets the criteria. A limited assurance judgment based on a half-year examination of financial statements, although over financial information and under a specified assurance standard for reviews of financial information, is an example of a limited assurance conclusion.
Conclusion	Reasonable assurance judgments are positive. ‘Based on the methods undertaken, I believe the managing declaration on [subject matter] is effectively drafted,’ for example.	The conclusions of limited certainty are presented in a negative light. ‘Based on the tests conducted, nothing has come to our knowledge that indicates the management assertion on [subject matter] was not correctly produced,’ for example.   A double negative is required in this type of reporting to alert the reader to the lower degree of certainty being supplied.

Now the question arises which one of the two fits your organization’s criteria?

In general, your organization’s assurance choices are flexible unless there is a legal or regulatory necessity to have certain information guaranteed or to have a specific style of assurance.

For example,

 

• your company can select between reasonable and limited assurance, depending on the judgment of the assurance supplier; and
• Your company might opt to have all non-financial data secured or only a subset of indicators.
• Reasonable certainty on performance against a set of strategic KPIs may be chosen, with limited assurance on others or the rest of the report. However, it must be apparent to you what has and has not been ensured, as well as what level of assurance is being offered to certain indications.

It’s worth noting that if assurance is being granted on a set of indicators, you’ll need to show the assurance provider that the interaction has a legitimate purpose.

Non-Financial Reporting and Assurance

Inside agencies, buyers, and government institutions there is a growing focus on the reality that they cannot gather and depend on conventional data for taking selections. Consequently, there is an increasing call for non-monetary reporting, in particular for ESG which serves a wide variety of users and incorporates investors, leaders & owners. However, some challenges want to be addressed to decorate the reporting, as the extent of the guarantee doesn’t meet compared to international requirements. Therefore, to deal with the warranty degree, there needs to be a mandate that all public indexed entities and big non-indexed entities should assist the reporting. Numerous concerns determine the kind of sustainability data that is ensured, that is significant for the business enterprise and its strategies, degree of publicity to hazard, internal and external stakeholders, and sustainability goals. The volume of confident statistics is ranged from the sustainability file to the greenhouse gas assertion (GHG) or different unique indicators (i.e., ESG metrics) which can be essential to any company. Though, entities that provide assurance services are not fairly analyzing financial systems, so they see at other areas of the business, such as IT systems, internal controls, or other procedures for information.

Also, assurance services involve the testing of rationality within past data of the business cycle. The most well-known assurance service is financial statement audits, but they include a wide range of other professional services based on the subject matter can take several forms, but frequently focuses on:

 

• Integrated Reports, including environmental, social, economic, and governance disclosures
• Sustainability or corporate responsibility reports, including performance disclosures, data, targets, and KPIs relating to environmental, social, economic, and governance topics
• Adherence to principles as defined by external or internal standards or codes of conduct
• Specific communications made to particular stakeholders or the board related to nonfinancial performance
• Claims related to social and environmental outcomes of specific products or services

EHS Compliance Assurance for your company

 

For decades, the potential EHS hazards associated with diverse activities in multiple sectors have made it critical for all systems and equipment in the business, including operating processes, to adhere to standards and regulations. As a result, audits and assurance are essential for the facility’s safe operation and the prevention of mishaps.

Why is Assurance important in EHS?

The importance of assurance can be stated by the following points below:

 

• To get more efficient– The impact of your work on the environment assess a clear indicator of areas where improvement is required. A huge carbon footprint generated critically indicates the state of your company. Hence exploring and updating best-known practices will reduce the carbon footprint and allow you to improve.
• To cut costs– An assurance will help you to highlight the important steps where the money can be saved which will uncover hidden costs and will also provide benefits for you to run the operation economically.
• Makes workplace safe– An assurance will pinpoint dangerous situations and help to plan preventive measures for them. Complying with the best EHS practice will improve morale among your employees & help them work with an open mind.
• Getting certified with ISO 14001 certification– It is quite an important step for any company to get itself certified with ISO 14001, as this will help you to assess and manage the factors which cause impacts. If your company is already complying with some other certifications, ISO 14001 will be the next step to certify your entity.

How to implement an EHS Assurance?

There are many ways to do an EHS compliance assurance, which vary from company to company.

Here below mentioned is a successful strategy for you to comply with EHS Assurance-

 

• Preparing for Assurance– The first step involves being aware of the assurance. This means informing all managers, and employees about it, so that all necessary documents, records, and procedures are available when it begins. Gather information from earlier assurances and define potential sites where more awareness is required.
• Initial Research and Finding dangerous situations– In the second step, start analyzing every process in the company from a lower level to a higher level of operation, and identify potential sites from where dangerous situations can arise and cause problems. In this step perform interviews and group discussions among the employees and managers about the functioning of the company and extract vital information.
• Reviewing the findings– In the third step, combine all the findings based on the second step and analyze the difficulties raised during the research. Analyze the operating procedures and check if all the compliances are met or not. From the second step after conducting the interview evaluate if employees are working appropriately or if some further training sessions are necessary.
• Take corrective actions & implement changes – In this step, involve managers and heads in executing corrective measures. Assign time for changes and proactive actions for any corrections required. After implementation, check records of corrective actions taken to make the workplace safer.
• Disclose the results of the assurance– Show everybody the findings and recommendations of the safety audits. Acknowledge the departments that are accurately executing their duties. Also, encourage the respective departments which didn’t fulfill the assurance or found out to be not working properly. Hence a proper balance will be maintained within the organization and operations will be performed easily.

Benefits of EHS Assurance?

When it comes to adopting and reinforcing an EHS Assurance, you have numerous advantages as a business owner. Focusing on health and safety shows that you care about your organization and workplace safety, which improves your reputation as a responsible employer.

Overall, you will be able to run your organization more easily and successfully, as well as limit the number of possible mishaps (and the costs associated with correcting and recovering from these accidents). EHS Assurance may have a beneficial impact on your organization in a variety of ways, both direct and indirect.

 

• Higher productivity

You have every motive in the world to keep your staff healthy at work rather than recovering at home if an event occurs. Your team’s total production rises because of fewer injuries and illnesses, and their higher morale enhances output as well. Not to add those workplace injuries and illnesses cost a firm far more than typical sick leave payouts.

 

• More profits

Increased profits are a motivation to act and incorporating an ESH Assurance multiplies your company’s value for the following reasons: reducing the price of training requirements can be met for employees having recovered from an accident, seeking to avoid expenses involved with replacing damaged properties, eradicating expenses involved with exploring injury causative factors, and avoiding project delays caused by accidents.

 

• Increasing employee satisfaction

People are delighted and comfortable when others show real concern for their well-being, and this incorporates employees with their employers. When employees see that their supervisors and bosses care about their health and safety, their level of reporting keeps increasing, and staff retention rates climb.

 

• Attracting business

EHS Assurance increases confidence in your company, promoting partnerships with larger corporations and government bodies. Having efficient management systems allows you to take your organization to the next level.

Impact assessment/Outcome measurement

Impact assessment is a detail-understanding task that seeks out and addresses root causes that change specific methods of the business before they take place. Today, corporates are looking into impact assessment as an alarm for their organization, hence they look forward to making early changes in their system to minimize or reduce the risks associated with it. With all this, impact assessment provides answers to some important questions which should be answered. Few are like!

 

• What is the significant impact certain changes will bring to organizations?
• What are the steps essential for minimizing the impact of involved methods?
• What changes can be made to minimize the impact in the future?

With all these above questions, it is understood that all organizations are eager to find out the answers to them which are industry-specific to their own. Various studies have shown that corporates are spending more on impact assessment. At present companies are hiring independent agencies to conduct an assessment for them, they are spending 5% of their CSR expenditure on impact assessment. The capabilities assist clients to formulate advanced methods, tools, and frameworks to enhance, track and measure operations. This provides businesses with correct and accurate data that can be used for decision-making. A bonus of this assessment is that it promotes transparency in the organization. Essentially, an impact assessment is akin to a car service appointment or your annual health check-up. Impact assessment takes a holistic approach to assessing the performance of businesses. Recognizing that social and environmental factors cannot be ignored when trying to mitigate risk. Impact Assessment is processed to assess the consequences of individual projects or processes- (Environmental Impact Assessment) EIA or(Strategic Impact Assessment) SEA.

Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of assessing the probable environmental impacts of an anticipated project or development, which includes biodiversity, vegetation, and water and air.

Legislations and practices on EIA vary around the world, the fundamental components essentially involve the following stages:

 

1. Screening– This step determines which projects or developments require a full or partial assessment study. Here the decision is taken for the project which is evaluated based on the fact that, whether the proposed project is worth being assessed or not.
2. Scoping– This is an important step for the preparation of an EIA, here the identification of potential impacts is assessed, to categorize alternate resolutions which prevent, alleviate or compensate for unfavorable impacts on the biological cycle and lastly descend terms of the position of impact assessment. Here the issues are identified and highlighted which are of great concern and certain things which are of less concern are sorted out.
3. Assessment and Mitigation– This is the crucial and core step of EIA, here impacts and development of alternatives are assessed to predict and identify the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development. In this step, a clear and detailed list of pertinent impacts on the environment and people is obtained & based on those impacts detailed mitigation plans are discovered.
4. Impact Management– In this step, a series of plans and protocols are managed to identify mitigation measures and risks which might occur throughout life.
5. The EIA report– In this step, a report is formulated, which consists of all information related to the project. The report consists of project components, including a description of the project, environmental and social impact assessment, mitigation measures, and other management plans. The report is processed to convey the outcomes of the project and focused mitigation measures and hence provide knowledge for good decision making.
6. Review and Licensing– This step is the final check for quality on the EIA report which is submitted to obtain a project license. The review in this step is carried out to verify the quality of data and procedures used for EIA and to verify the proposed mitigation measures as well as the impacts.
7. Monitoring– In this step, data is gathered on the impacts of the project for the whole lifecycle. This step is conducted to check whether the mitigation measures are fulfilling all commitments made from the EIA report. This process is conducted by a project manager or some other agency.

The aim of EIA

It seeks to forecast environmental consequences early in project planning and design, discover ways and means to limit negative impacts, adapt projects to fit the local environment, and give predictions and choices to decision-makers. EIA investigates both the positive and negative repercussions of the project and guarantees that these effects are considered throughout project planning. It assists in identifying potential environmental consequences of the planned project, provides mitigation strategies, and forecasts if substantial unfavorable environmental effects will occur even after mitigation measures are applied.

EIA provides several benefits, such as protection of the environment, effective resource use, and project time and cost savings since it considers the environmental implications of the project and their mitigation early in the project planning cycle. EIA that is properly completed also reduces disputes by encouraging social inclusion, educating policymakers, and preparing the ground for ecologically good initiatives. The advantages of including EIA have been shown at all stages of a project, from exploration and planning to build, operations, disengagement, or beyond facility abandonment.

Strategic Environmental Assessment

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is the dignified, methodical, and comprehensive process of recognizing and assessing the environmental consequences of planned strategic plans to ensure that they are fully involved and addressed at the initial probable phase of decision-making with economic and social considerations.

SEA can be applied to an entire sector or a geographical area. never replaces or reduces the need for EIA, but it helps to modernize and focus the integration of environmental concerns into the decision-making process, often making project-level EIA a more effective process.

The SEA evaluates the degree to which a particular policy, strategy, or initiative:

 

• provides an acceptable response to environmental and climate change-related concerns;
• may have a detrimental impact on the environment and climate adaptation; and
• provides chances to succeed in the status of the environment in addition to climate-resilient and reduced development.

A SEA should ideally be integrated into the policy, plan, or program creation process from the beginning, and the government should have a strong sense of ownership. Public engagement is also required for a successful SEA, as opposed to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which gives strategic recommendations and allows for more control over interactions or cumulative impacts.

The main phases of a SEA are:

1. SEA Screening

The intention to conduct a SEA is referred to as screening. SEAs are required for any policies, plans, or programs that are likely to experience major negative environmental consequences if executed.

2. SEA Scoping

Scoping is the process of identifying and clarifying the topics that the SEA will address. Complaints and judgments of stakeholders must be considered during exploration to verify that they are handled in the SEA Study.

3. SEA study

The SEA study delves deeper into key issues and includes several stages, including establishing an environmental baseline, identifying environmental and climate change constraints and opportunities, identifying and assessing potential environmental impacts, analyzing performance indicators, appreciating capacity building to identify existing environmental-related challenges, and summarising the study.