ESG Accounting

What is ESG accounting?

ESG accounting is the practice of measuring, analysing and auditing a company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts and the financial value created, or at risk, in line with International Auditing Standards (ISAE 3000).

Certified Public Accountants or Chartered Accountants (also certified in ESG) are the only professionals licensed to independently audit ESG data and impacts with the same professional standards of security, confidentiality and accuracy as financial accounting.

Omnevue Accounting Standards

Omnevue is a purpose built, first-of-its-kind platform that automates ESG accounting in line with International Auditing Standards (ISAE 3000). Our ESG Audits and Value & Risk Accounts are supervised and signed-off by Certified Public Accountants and comply with six standards:

Relevance

Ensure the ESG inventory appropriately reflects the ESG impacts of the company and serves the decision-making needs of users – both internal and external to the company.

Double Materiality

In ESG accounting, information has a ‘double materiality’ i.e. it is two-way. ESG information is material and should be disclosed when ESG issues (e.g. transition to net-zero) impact the company and also when the company impacts the environment (e.g. CO2e emissions) and society (e.g. gender pay gap).

Completeness

Account for and report on all significant ESG data sources and activities within the Omnevue Scorecard and any additional measures selected. Disclose and justify any specific exclusions.

Consistency

Use consistent methodologies to allow for meaningful comparisons of ESG impacts over time. Transparently document any changes to the data, inventory boundary, methods, or any other relevant factors in the time series.

Transparency

Address all relevant issues in a factual and coherent manner, based on a clear audit trail. Disclose any relevant assumptions and make appropriate references to the accounting and calculation methodologies and data sources used.

Accuracy

Ensure that the quantification of ESG impacts is systematically neither over nor under actual emissions, as far as can be judged, and that uncertainties are reduced as far as practicable. Achieve sufficient accuracy to enable users to make decisions with reasonable assurance as to the integrity of the reported information.

Omnevue clients can be confident that their ESG accounting complies with professional standards, applicable laws and regulations, and the Code of Ethics of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.