ESG and Sustainability Reporting Standards Course: A Comprehensive Guide

For CPAs and finance professionals, sustainability has rapidly become a hot topic with significant implications for the profession. Recognizing the importance of sustainability issues in today’s business environment is the first step in adapting to the changes that accompany the increasing stakeholder demand for sustainability information from businesses.

This course provides a deep dive into the leading sustainability reporting frameworks, helping you identify and manage opportunities and risks to improve business performance. This program is accessible to professionals at all levels, with no prerequisites required. However, participants must be employed at a for-profit company or corporate foundation. In some cases, eligibility extends to employees at nonprofit healthcare organizations, credit unions, or consulting firms (if the organization has a dedicated corporate citizenship/sustainability department).

What is ESG Materiality?

“Materiality” in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and sustainability reporting context is the principle of defining the topics that matter most to a business and its stakeholders. By identifying and understanding their material ESG issues, businesses can better align their sustainability strategy with overall business strategy and stakeholder expectations, focus efforts and often-limited resources on the most impactful issues, and improve their ESG and sustainability performance and disclosures.

The evolving domestic and international regulatory landscape in this space, however, means that legal and sustainability professionals must navigate evolving definitions and increased scrutiny in determining what is or is not material to their businesses.

Course Overview

This course, titled "ESG and Sustainability Reporting: What's 'Material' to Your Business?", explores the topic of ESG materiality and its role in disclosure regulations and standards, including emerging trends, best practices, and case studies. You'll review sustainability issues and opportunities to help you develop a high-level understanding of the key topics, including:

• The three pillars of sustainability
• Key bodies that have created suitable reporting standards, guidelines, frameworks, and requirements
• Recent changes to the sustainability reporting landscape

After completing the course, you will receive a certificate and digital badge to showcase your new knowledge in this developing area.

Key Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Recognize the importance of sustainability and ESG in today's business environment.
• Recognize the three pillars of ESG.
• Identify key factors influencing the current sustainability reporting landscape.

Who Will Benefit?

This course is designed for:

• Any accounting or finance professional who wants to understand more about the current governing bodies, frameworks, and reporting requirements for ESG.
• Accounting and finance professionals who provide ESG assurance or advisory services for clients and need to stay well informed about the current requirements and evolving nature of ESG.
• Management accountants who have a key role in driving sustainable strategic and operational decisions for which it is crucial to understand the business case for ESG, and what it means for investors, stakeholders, and businesses.

Key Topics Covered

• Sustainability fundamentals
• Expectations of investors, stakeholders, and shareholders
• The accounting and finance professional’s role in sustainability
• Existing reporting requirements
• Frameworks that drive reporting
• Key global bodies that set the baseline for reporting and frameworks
• Recent standards and reporting requirements

Course Details

Format: Online

NASBA Field of Study: Accounting

Level: Basic

CPE Credits: 6

Availability: With full paid access the content will be available to you for 1 year after purchase date.

Pricing

The course is available at the following prices:

• Non-members: $415.00
• AICPA Members: $310.00
• CIMA Members: $310.00

Group ordering is available for teams of 2 to 5 registrants.

About the Author

Steven Shamrock has been a CPA for 30 years and holds CMA and FSA Level I certifications. He is an author and adjunct professor of accountancy. His experience includes public accounting and serving as an accounting and finance leader in various industries.

Steve holds degrees in accounting, applied economics, and taxation.

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