ESG & Sustainability
Double materiality assessment, framework mapping, indicator systems, report preparation and assurance readiness. Every disclosure has a topic rationale, a data definition and an owner, and the report rolls forward year after year.
01/Sticking points
These surface in the first reporting cycle and return in the second unless they are fixed.
When it happens
First year of mandatory reporting, or first investor and customer inquiries
Where it stalls
Many frameworks, a topic list copied from peers, no materiality assessment
If left unresolved
A long report in which the truly material topics are underdeveloped
When it happens
Environmental, HR, safety and procurement data all go into the report
Where it stalls
Each department uses its own definitions; data is chased by email before publication
If left unresolved
No traceable workpapers when assurance providers or raters ask
When it happens
A rating agency score or a customer supplier audit result arrives
Where it stalls
Unclear whether gaps come from missing policies, weak disclosure or actual performance
If left unresolved
Effort goes into rewording the report while the score stays flat
When it happens
Management wants ESG targets in business performance reviews
Where it stalls
Targets in the report are not allocated to departments or tracked annually
If left unresolved
Progress cannot be explained at the target date and commitments lose credibility
02/Readiness check
Answer yes or no to each question. Once all are answered you will see your stage and suggested next steps.
Have you run a formal materiality assessment with stakeholder input in the past two years?
Surveys, interviews or workshops, with records kept
Is board or management oversight of sustainability matters clearly assigned?
For example a dedicated committee or terms of reference
Have greenhouse gas emissions been inventoried to a standard, covering at least Scopes 1 and 2?
An inventory report or workpapers exist
Do key environmental, people and safety indicators have one definition and a named data owner?
One definition per indicator across the company
Have you identified major climate-related risks and opportunities and assessed their financial effects?
Policy, market, extreme weather and similar
Do you set ESG entry or assessment requirements for major suppliers?
Code of conduct, questionnaires or site audits
Can key figures in the report be traced to source evidence?
Bills, registers, system exports
Have you set quantified ESG targets and tracked progress annually?
Reduction, safety or diversity targets
03/Services
Commission them individually or combine them into an annual program. Expand for details.
Who it is for
First-time reporters, companies with major business changes, or those aligning with exchange guidelines
How it runs
What you receive
04/Materiality matrix
The horizontal axis shows financial materiality, the effect on cash flows and value. The vertical axis shows impact materiality, the effect on environment and society. Topics in the top right are disclosure priorities.
Climate change
Carbon prices, customer reduction demands and extreme weather affect both cost and orders
Select a topic to see the rationale · A typical result for a manufacturer. Positions vary with industry, business mix and stakeholder input.
05/Framework map
Choose your primary framework to see where the same topic appears in the others. Mapping is at section level; follow the latest version of each framework for clauses.
| Topic | GRI GRI Standards | ISSB IFRS S1 / S2 | Mainland exchanges Sustainability Reporting Guidelines for Listed Companies | HKEX Environmental, Social and Governance Reporting Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainability governance | GRI 2 General Disclosures · Governance | IFRS S1 · Governance | Sustainability governance · Governance structure | Mandatory disclosure · Governance structure |
| Impacts, risks and opportunities | GRI 3 Material Topics | IFRS S1 · Strategy, risk management | Impact, risk and opportunity management · Double materiality | Reporting principles · Materiality |
| Climate and emissions | GRI 305 Emissions | IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures | Environmental disclosure · Climate change | Climate-related disclosures · Environmental A1 Emissions |
| Employees | GRI 401 Employment · 403 OHS · 404 Training | IFRS S1 · Per identified risks and opportunities | Social disclosure · Employees | Social B1–B4 Employment, health and safety, development, labour standards |
| Supply chain | GRI 308 · 414 Supplier environmental and social assessment | IFRS S1 · Per identified risks and opportunities | Social disclosure · Suppliers and customers | Social B5 Supply chain management |
| Business ethics | GRI 205 Anti-corruption · 206 Anti-competitive behavior | IFRS S1 · Per identified risks and opportunities | Sustainability governance · Anti-bribery and anti-corruption | Social B7 Anti-corruption |
Section-level mapping, so one indicator set can be reused across frameworks.
06/Annual cycle
Example for an A-share listed company publishing with the annual report by 30 April. Select a phase to see the work.
Jan – Feb
Data close
Work
Output
Prior-year indicator workpapers
Companies listed in Hong Kong or with other reporting periods shift the cycle to their publication date.
07/Typical projects
Typical project paths; client details are withheld.
08/Engagement models
Choose by the nature of the work. Durations are typical ranges; final scope follows a workload assessment.
One reporting year, including indicator collection and content index.
Deliverables
Materiality, reporting, rating engagement and mid-year review across the year.
Deliverables
Governance, policies, indicator manual and system set up once, then run by your team.
Deliverables
09/Sample deliverables
Left: the contents of a sustainability report. Right: the indicator workpaper, with definition, source and framework reference for each indicator.
Sustainability Report
Exchange sustainability reporting guidelines · GRI Standards · IFRS S2
Contents
Annex · Key indicator workpaper (excerpt)
| ID | Topic | Indicator | Unit | Definition | Source | Framework |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Climate | Scope 1 GHG emissions | tCO₂e | Operational control | GHG inventory workpapers | GRI 305-1 · S2 |
| E-02 | Climate | Scope 2 GHG emissions | tCO₂e | Location-based | Electricity bills | GRI 305-2 · S2 |
| E-06 | Water | Total water withdrawal | m³ | All sites | Meters and water bills | GRI 303-3 |
| S-03 | Safety | Recordable injury rate | Per million hours | Incl. agency workers | Safety register | GRI 403-9 |
| S-07 | People | Training hours per employee | Hours | Employees on payroll | Training system export | GRI 404-1 |
| G-02 | Ethics | Anti-corruption training coverage | % | Managers and above | Compliance records | GRI 205-2 |
Illustrative and anonymised. Each indicator has one data owner; changes in definition are logged with reasons.
10/Platform link
Topics, indicator definitions and data owners from the project are configured in the MeetCarbon Cloud ESG module. Departments report online with evidence, emissions come straight from the carbon module, and report annexes export in one step.
11/FAQ
Usually one framework structures the report and others are covered through an index. With a single indicator manual, the same indicator is reused across frameworks.
Surveys are one common method; interviews, workshops or existing engagement records also work. What matters is an explainable process and management sign-off.
It depends on regulation and stakeholder expectations. We prepare workpapers to assurance standards and run a pre-review; the opinion comes from an independent provider.
Ratings are usually updated annually. Policy and disclosure fixes typically show in the next cycle; performance indicators take longer.
No. We check that the inventory boundary matches the reporting boundary and cite the inventory as the data source for the climate section.
Share your listing venue, industry and next disclosure date, and we will suggest how to approach materiality, reporting and data preparation.
