Sustainability and ESG services

Helping to create a more sustainable future

We understand that sustainability is a priority issue for you. We also know that it’s a journey, with immediate actions and long-term goals to consider. 

We want to help you on that journey. Sustainability matters to us at BDO, and we recognise that there are not only sustainability requirements you may need to meet, but you also have your own priorities and motivations behind your sustainability goals. Our advisers can help you to understand your current sustainability position, set targets and measure your progress. 

As with any organisation, you may be driven by the demands of your customers, communities and government when it comes to sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. We recognise this - and we also understand that caring for the land and the community goes beyond compliance.   

Our expertise 

In recent years, we’ve provided practical advice to help organisations undergo financial transformation to support sustainability goals and understand their carbon footprint. We've also developed bespoke non-financial audits and reports. We’ve been involved in the Not-for-Profit sector around impact measurement, as well as providing advice to Māori business and engaging with economic development boards to provide reports and recommendations on the long-term viability of carbon farming. 

Our services 

No matter where you’re starting from, our team of experts can help guide you through the complex sustainability landscape.  We can help you with:

Our sustainability readiness workshop can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your business. Depending on your requirements, this can include a pre-survey to help us determine your current position and future goals, a 2-4 hour workshop to dive into the details of your business’s approach to sustainability and ongoing requirements, and a report to guide you on the next steps.  For smaller businesses this process can also be condensed into a one-to-one meeting.

When it comes to sustainability efforts, it’s essential to keep your stakeholders engaged and informed throughout the process to identify areas with the highest impact and priority.  At BDO, we can help you to do this, including assisting with: 

  • Developing your stakeholder map. 

  • Selecting internal and external stakeholders to engage with and determining how to engage with them. 

  • Creating longlists and shortlists of the material sustainability issues relevant to your business. 

  • Interviewing internal and external stakeholders. 

  • Determining risks and opportunities for each material issue and developing a materiality matrix. 

  • Validating and prioritising material issues.

Establishing a sustainability strategy and engaging stakeholders can take considerable time and effort. Defining your strategy is essential to creating a plan to work toward and this starts at governance level. At BDO we work closely with Boards and owners to help them distil a strategy that is fit for the size of their business and their industry, producing a right-sized digital strategy that is easy to communicate and implement. 

Understanding your sustainability position, actions, and progress requires data collection and monitoring of key metrics. We can recommend data collection products and processes to best suit the specific requirements of your business. At this stage we can also discuss appropriate reporting frameworks where relevant to your requirements.   

We have a range of tools available to assist with carbon inventory and greenhouse gas emission measurement, including Xero add-on options.  

Whether you have an external obligation to report on your sustainability progress or see the competitive advantage in doing so voluntarily, we can help. Our experts can recommend sustainability reporting products to best suit the specific requirements of your business.

Once you know your current sustainability position and where you want to get to, it’s time to take action. We can support the implementation of your sustainability strategy by working with you on an action plan to embed sustainability into your business, providing regular accountability coaching, performing a cost-benefit analysis of sustainable projects, providing assistance with application for sustainable finance, and more. 

About our sustainability readiness workshop 

Our sustainability readiness workshop is a highly scalable offering that is tailored to suit the specific needs of your business. This includes the size of your operation, your current sustainability position, and your sustainability goals.  

Outcomes to drive change 

Backed by research, our workshop gives participants a common language and shared knowledge of sustainable development and what this means within the organisation. Together, we can identify opportunities and actions to help your business become more sustainable.. 

A scalable approach 

For larger organisations and those with more complex requirements, the workshop includes a pre-survey to help us understand where you’re at currently and what your sustainability goals are, a 2-4 hour session with your team to dive deeper into your business's sustainability approach and requirements, and a report to guide you on the next steps. We know that this approach may not work for some smaller businesses, so we can scale it to suit your business needs – perhaps you may benefit more from jumping straight into a one-to-one meeting. We’ll work with you to determine the best fit for your organisation. 

Meeting you where you are 

Your organisation might be brand new to sustainability, already living and breathing ESG or somewhere in between. Our workshop can benefit either position by leaning more heavily on education or action planning, to meet the needs of your stakeholders and sustainability goals.


NZ forestry

Sustainability in agribusiness

Our specialist agribusiness team can provide a range of tailored agricultural sustainability services to help ensure the success of your farm for generations to come.
Find out more
understanding ESG diagram

Understanding ESG

We approach sustainability through the universally-recognised environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework. While there is no universal standardisation of ESG matters, there are common factors that many businesses acknowledge. In addition, ESG factors are often interlinked and may cross into more than one of the environmental, social and governance buckets.

Some of the factors that make up ESG are:

Environmental 

Social 

Governance 

Climate change and carbon emissions 

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) 

Governing purpose 

Biodiversity and resource depletion 

Human rights and modern slavery 

Board composition 

Land use 

Employee engagement 

Ethical behaviour 

Air and water pollution 

Customer experience 

Cyber security and data privacy 

Waste recycling and management 

Energy efficiency 

Community engagement 

Risk and opportunity oversight 

 

Why use BDO sustainability services? 

There is a lot that can be done when it comes to sustainability, but the actions you choose to take will depend on your organisation’s specific conditions and where you’re located.  

At BDO, our advisers live and work in the same communities as you do, all across the country. That means we have a genuine understanding of your specific conditions and the ESG priorities for different regions. 

We’re passionate about helping you understand and meet your sustainability goals. For more information, contact us today to find out how we can help.

Sustainability insights

Contact us