The changing regulatory environment in Europe is driving growing demand for Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) related services, but the road towards compliance can be fraught with challenges.

To better map out and communicate its current sustainability performance, our client, an international architectural firm, approached Arup to carry out an ESG enablement roadmap that will establish the basis for a future ESG strategy. 

As a change management process, ESG enablement work is a process of organisational transformation. Our team of ESG and sustainability consultants split the work programme into a diagnosis and gap analysis phase to scope out the organisation’s current ESG related work and corporate sustainability KPIs. 

This phase included a series of in person workshops and interviews with key C-suite stakeholders including the CEO, Executive and Strategic Boards, as well as the heads of Corporate and Communications, Human Resources and Sustainability. 

Sustainability reporting laws are continuing to evolve, with new standards for consistency, transparency and accuracy redrawing industries, including the built environment. In Europe, the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is transforming ESG reporting. 

ESG and sustainability advisory 

Our specialists carried out a materiality assessment, designed to help the organisation identify and understand the most critical ESG and sustainability topics for the firm and its stakeholders.  

This was done alongside an in-depth information gathering and benchmarking exercise. Our policy specialists also provided a horizon scan to identify new and upcoming policy and market trends and drivers.

The workshops were designed to bring together stakeholders across the firm to create a common vision of its key ESG drivers and enablers, and define related priorities and objectives, including setting corporate KPIs for aspects including carbon, energy, wellbeing, nature, social value and other related sustainability topics.