Advancing ESG Strategy and Creating a Competitive Advantage with Climate-Related Disclosure

多年来, companies that established a public net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target were viewed as having advanced ESG strategies that set them apart from competitors. 然而，净零目标已不再被认为是足够的.

美国.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) climate disclosure regulation is a monumental shift from companies voluntarily developing a sustainability strategy to requiring registrants to provide annual data as an indicator of their ESG performance. 另外, companies will be required to provide complete and valid documentation to back up their climate commitments. Whether a company is already disclosing GHG emissions and climate strategy or has yet to start, the proposed SEC legislation and the upcoming International 可持续性 Standards Board (ISSB) standards provide compelling incentive for companies to proactively inventory their practices, 管理风险, 抓住机会.

The SEC draft rules emerged from more than a decade of rising demand from investors, ESG咨询小组委员会的建议, 还有一年的公众意见征询期. The proposed new SEC legislation incorporates frameworks on climate risk and GHG emissions from the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. It seeks to provide stakeholders with consistent and reliable information on the potential impacts that climate-related risks may have on business to inform investment decisions.

With promulgation of the SEC rules and issuance of the ISSB standards anticipated at the end of this year, 2023 will bring a significant shift in how companies track and report on climate resiliency and GHG emissions. 公司可以采取几种方法, depending on where they are and where they aim to be along the ESG maturity spectrum. While the SEC rules are only applicable to certain publicly traded companies, 不在SEC管辖范围内的公司将受到影响, given interrelated supply chain connections and general business advancement goals in the private sector.

We encourage companies to use Tetra Tech’s GHG Emissions Milestones of ESG Maturity and Climate Risk and Resiliency Milestones of ESG Maturity (see full article) to reflect on your company’s current sustainability practices and to inform your unique strategy and action plan. Increasing the sustainability practices within your organization can be an iterative process. 无论你落在连续体的哪个位置, you can make frequent process improvements and take bold action to mature beyond regulatory requirements to improve business outcomes.

证券交易委员会提出的规则是否直接或间接影响到你的公司, Tetra Tech can be an asset to your team as you work on what’s next for your company’s ESG progression. From strategy development to engineering and implementation solutions, Tetra Tech is 引领科学® 帮助我们的客户实现可持续发展和ESG目标.

We cover approaches to prepare to comply with climate disclosure requirements—and move beyond compliance to create a competitive advantage—in our paper, “How Upcoming ESG Guidelines and Requirements for Climate-Related Disclosures Can Enhance a Company’s 可持续性 Position.”