Sustainability Advisory

Your Challenges

Developing a well thought-out, credible and effective Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability strategy can be a daunting and time-consuming task. Organisations need to understand and prioritise both the strategic and reputational risks that arise as a consequence of their business practices and operations. Too often, companies turn to a Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability strategy in response to an adverse event. In this "reactive" mode, companies often make hasty decisions, which lead to an ineffective allocation of resources.

• How do I build a stronger business case to get senior management's attention?
• What are our biggest risks and how should we manage them?
• What should our priorities be?
• Are there gaps in our Corporate Responsibility/Sustainability strategy? What is the best way to implement the strategy?

Meeting Your Needs

PwC has a comprehensive service offering related to Corporate Responsibility/Sustainability strategy and stakeholder engagement. Our offering, which can be tailored to a client's exact requirements, has four main elements:

• Programme development and implementation
  We help our clients develop a well thought-out, credible and effective Corporate Social Responsibility ("CSR") strategy and implement a range of strategic programmes for the ongoing management of business conduct, risks to reputation and corporate responsibility. Specifically, we work with clients on the development and testing of codes of ethics and conduct; corporate responsibility, environmental, health and safety, and community management systems, controls, policies and procedures; internal audit; and performance and risk metrics.
  
  
• Inventory and gap analysis
  PwC has developed a systematic approach that helps companies to quickly inventory existing Corporate Responsibility activities and assess them against internal obligations (e.g. values, codes, policies, etc.) and leading external practices (e.g. peers, rating indices, reporting guidelines, etc.). Depending on a variety of factors, including the industry, geography and stakeholders, our approach can be tailored to help meet the needs of any client and quickly identify major gaps.
  
  
• Stakeholder engagement
  Companies are not accountable solely to shareholders and the investment community. A broad and diverse group of constituents, including employees, activists, suppliers, consumers, regulators, communities and NGOs can have a significant impact on the reputation and business performance of companies. Stakeholder engagement has therefore become a core requirement for maintaining competitive advantage.
  
  For example, introducing an ethical sourcing policy presents many opportunities such as increased knowledge about and better relationships with suppliers, support of brand values and a basis for increased dialogue with stockholders on CSR.
  
  
• Operational solutions and support to decision making
  Our global network of consultants and project management staff support governments in evaluating national and international policy options, and help industry make informed decisions concerning corporate investment and strategic environmental management.