ESG Advisory
Materiality assessment, ESG data controls and reporting aligned with GRI, IFRS S1/S2 and Saudi Exchange guidance, plus support with investor questionnaires.
Key benefit: Credible ESG disclosures backed by traceable data
Sustainability, ESG & Climate
Sustainability Advisory
A sustainability strategy built around your business priorities, with clear targets, owners and actions that operations and projects can deliver.
Sustainability goals embedded in how the business operates
Overview
Sustainability advisory is support for defining and implementing an organisation's sustainability strategy. It establishes priorities across environmental, resource and social topics, translates them into policies, targets and key performance indicators, sets governance and responsibilities, and integrates sustainability requirements into operations, procurement and projects, so that commitments become part of normal management rather than a separate initiative.
Many organisations in Saudi Arabia have made sustainability commitments in response to Vision 2030, the Saudi Green Initiative, investor interest or customer requirements, yet struggle to turn them into daily practice. Commitments sit in a policy document while operations, procurement and project teams continue as before. Sustainability advisory closes that gap. It focuses on what the organisation will do and how it will manage it, while ESG reporting focuses on how performance is disclosed and net-zero planning on emissions specifically. The three work together, but strategy and integration come first.
We begin by understanding the business: its operating model, environmental footprint, resource use, stakeholder expectations and existing initiatives. From this we define a small number of strategic priorities, such as water efficiency, waste reduction, energy use, sustainable procurement, biodiversity on project sites or community engagement. Each priority is given objectives, targets and key performance indicators with baselines and data sources. We also review existing policies and management systems, including ISO 14001 where in place, so that the strategy builds on what already works instead of creating parallel processes.
Integration is where most strategies succeed or fail. We define governance roles from board to site level, assign an owner to each target, and build sustainability criteria into the processes that drive decisions: capital approval, procurement specifications, design reviews and project execution plans. For organisations delivering projects, we translate corporate commitments into project-level requirements that contractors can follow and report against. The result is a phased roadmap with initiatives, responsibilities and resources, and a review cycle that keeps the strategy current as the business and its context change.
When you need this service
You may need this service when:
- Leadership wants a sustainability strategy linked to business priorities, not a standalone document.
- Existing sustainability commitments have no targets, owners or way of tracking progress.
- You need to align corporate plans with Vision 2030 and Saudi Green Initiative priorities.
- Project teams need sustainability requirements they can apply in design and construction.
- Procurement wants sustainability criteria for assessing suppliers and contractors.
- Sustainability initiatives across sites or business units are fragmented and inconsistent.
What we deliver
01
Current state assessment
A review of your footprint, existing initiatives, policies, management systems and stakeholder expectations, identifying strengths, gaps and priority areas for action.
02
Sustainability strategy
A concise strategy setting out vision, strategic priorities and objectives, linked to your business plan and to national sustainability priorities.
03
Targets and KPIs
Measurable targets and key performance indicators for each priority, with baselines, data sources, calculation methods and reporting frequency defined.
04
Policies and governance
A sustainability policy and supporting policies, with roles from board to site level, committee arrangements and decision rights documented.
05
Operational and project integration
Sustainability criteria embedded in capital approval, procurement, design review and project execution, including requirements contractors can follow and report against.
06
Implementation roadmap
A phased roadmap of initiatives with owners, resources, milestones and a review cycle, so progress can be monitored and the strategy updated.
Our approach
Discovery
We review documents, interview leadership and functional heads, and visit representative sites to understand operations, impacts and current practices.
Prioritisation
We assess sustainability topics against business relevance and stakeholder expectations, then agree a focused set of strategic priorities with leadership.
Strategy design
We define objectives, targets and KPIs for each priority, test them for feasibility and data availability, and draft the strategy document.
Governance
We set roles, responsibilities and decision rights, and prepare policies and committee terms of reference for approval.
Integration
We work with operations, procurement and project teams to build sustainability criteria into their existing processes, templates and approvals.
Roadmap and review
We finalise the phased roadmap, tracking dashboard structure and annual review process, and support the first progress review if required.
Deliverables
| Deliverable | Format | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Current state assessment report | Findings, gaps and priority areas (PDF) | End of discovery |
| Sustainability strategy document | Priorities, objectives and targets (Word + PDF) | Strategy design stage |
| KPI framework | Indicator definitions, baselines and data sources (Excel) | Strategy design stage |
| Sustainability policy set | Draft policies and governance terms of reference (Word) | Governance stage |
| Integration toolkit | Procurement criteria, design review checklist and project requirements (Word/Excel) | Integration stage |
| Implementation roadmap | Phased plan with owners, resources and milestones (PDF + editable file) | Final stage |
Regulatory context
- Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative as the national direction for sustainability
- Environmental Law and its Implementing Regulations as the compliance baseline for operations and projects
- ISO 14001 environmental management systems, where the strategy is integrated with an existing system
- National Center for Waste Management (MWAN) requirements relevant to waste and resource targets
- Mostadam, LEED or Envision where sustainability requirements extend to building and infrastructure projects
Requirements vary by activity, location and permit conditions. We confirm the applicable requirements for your project at the start of every engagement.
Industries served
Frequently asked questions
How is sustainability advisory different from ESG advisory?
Sustainability advisory focuses on what your organisation does: its priorities, targets, policies, governance and how sustainability is built into operations and projects. ESG advisory focuses on how performance is measured and disclosed to investors, lenders and other stakeholders through frameworks such as GRI or IFRS S1/S2. A clear strategy makes ESG reporting easier, and reporting shows whether the strategy is working, so the two are often planned together.
Does a sustainability strategy include net-zero targets?
A sustainability strategy usually includes climate as one priority alongside topics such as water, waste, procurement and people. Where emissions reduction is a major priority, the detailed work of modelling pathways, costing abatement measures and setting science-based targets is done through net zero advisory, and the results are then brought into the overall strategy. This keeps the strategy balanced while giving climate the technical depth it needs.
How many targets should a sustainability strategy have?
Usually fewer than organisations expect. A small number of well-defined targets, each with an owner, a baseline and reliable data, is more useful than a long list that nobody tracks. We typically focus on the priorities with the greatest business and environmental relevance and keep secondary topics under monitoring. The right number depends on your size, sector and how mature your data and management systems are.
Can the strategy work with our ISO 14001 system?
Yes, and it usually should. An ISO 14001 environmental management system already provides processes for identifying environmental aspects, setting objectives, assigning responsibilities and reviewing performance. We align the sustainability strategy with these processes so that targets and initiatives are managed through the existing system rather than a parallel one. This reduces duplication and makes progress easier to track and audit.
How do you integrate sustainability into projects?
We translate corporate commitments into practical project requirements: criteria for design reviews, specifications for materials and equipment, contractor obligations on waste, water, energy and site management, and reporting templates. These are added to existing project documents and approval gates, so project teams apply them as part of normal delivery. Where projects pursue Mostadam, LEED or Envision ratings, the requirements are aligned with those systems.
Related services
Net Zero Advisory
Decarbonisation pathways, science-based target setting, abatement cost analysis and a net-zero roadmap aligned with Saudi Arabia's 2060 net-zero target.
Key benefit: A costed, prioritised path to lower emissions
Circular Economy
Material flow analysis, waste reduction, reuse and recycling opportunities, by-product valorisation, and a circular economy strategy with a prioritised roadmap.
Key benefit: Lower material losses and new value from existing resource flows
Green Building Advisory
Support for LEED, Mostadam and Envision: gap analysis, credit strategy, documentation management and submission coordination from design to construction completion.
Key benefit: A clear route to your target rating, without documentation surprises
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