First and foremost, it is important to understand the role that accountants play in the ever-evolving corporate sustainability landscape for their customers.

Accountants are vital to tackling climate change, and for a number of reasons.

1. Accountants are already familiar with the data

In the context of greenhouse gas emissions, which have become a focal point for corporate sustainability in recent years, the indisputable Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol calls for the reporting of upstream emissions from a variety of categories, including purchased goods and services, as well as capital assets.

To calculate emissions from these two areas, which frequently make up the majority of an organization’s footprint, accountants collect and present comprehensive P&L and capital asset purchase data from their clients, which is then paired to relevant multipliers and used to calculate emissions.

2. Accountants already speak the language

The role that accountants play when it comes to organizational emissions goes further than P&Ls and capital assets. Accountants already speak the ‘language of business’ and are well-equipped to contribute to, and often lead these processes due to their unique position to formulate plans for collecting and reporting data that can “reach into every corner of a company’s operations”.

At organizations of all sizes and industries, involvement and leadership from accounting departments, whether in-house or outsourced, is necessary when it comes to corporate sustainability. Simply put, without accountants, effective environmental initiatives cannot happen.

3. The trusted advisor

Perhaps most important of all is the position that accounting firms fill for business clients: trusted advisors who facilitate legal compliance and business growth.

As legal mandates for corporate carbon accounting have rolled out for publicly traded companies, there are immediate benefits to be gained for organizations of all sizes who pursue processes such as carbon neutrality now.

When done properly, carbon neutrality offers the opportunity to improve revenues and stakeholder relationships, cut costs, and most importantly, drive environmental action.

As a trusted advisor, your firm is uniquely positioned to help facilitate the change necessary for a better today and tomorrow, bolstering bottom lines and creating a sustainable future for all.

Read the full article from Karbon on helping clients to become carbon neutral through advisory here.