The sustainability assurance process is a journey

Meet Christopher Larsson, Sustainability Auditor and Advisor at KPMG, whose focus it is to ensure transparent and accurate reporting of companies’ sustainability performances, as well as supporting clients when it comes to interpreting and understanding sustainability frameworks.

What does sustainability transformation mean to you?

In my opinion, sustainability transformation is about ensuring the long-term viability of organizations, ensuring that the organization is actively contributing and ready to transition towards a more sustainable society. It involves going beyond mere compliance and integrating sustainability into the core strategy and business model.

How does KPMG enable a smooth sustainability transformation from an assurance perspective?

Assurance plays a crucial role in the transition to a more sustainable society by ensuring that sustainability information is transparent, comparable, and accurate. The assurance process goes beyond simply completing tasks; it is a transformative journey that boosts credibility and builds trust with stakeholders. Additionally, it assists organizations in assessing their current sustainability performance and goals, as well as pinpointing areas for improvement.

What commonalties in different clients' challenges do you see?
Many clients face the difficulty of navigating the ever-changing sustainability regulations and the growing need to report on their sustainability performance. Another area that can be quite complex is identifying and understanding the impacts, risks, and opportunities that organizations have through their business relationships and value chain. For example, it's important to consider the impacts that a company's supply chain may have beyond just the direct suppliers it interacts with.

What improvements in organizations can sustainability bring about?

A well-defined process for identifying an organization's material sustainability matters, integrated into its strategy and business model, can assist in measuring and driving change in areas that are truly impactful for transitioning to a more sustainable society. By prioritizing sustainability in organizational practices, several benefits can be achieved, such as improved resource efficiency, enhanced attraction and retention of personnel, fostering a strong corporate culture, and ensuring fair working conditions.

What do you think is the future of sustainability?

I’m hopeful that societies will realize that change is needed and that companies will take the lead to drive the transition to more sustainable society, because in the long-term that will be the only way to future proof a business. Stronger regulation on companies’ environmental impacts, more clearly defined responsibilities for social matters and global agreement on transitioning from fossil fuels, are all great steps in the right direction, but is it fast enough?