ICAS ICAS logo

Quicklinks

  1. About Us

    Find out about who we are and what we do here at ICAS.

  2. Find a CA

    Search our directory of individual CAs and Member organisations by name, location and professional criteria.

  3. CA Magazine

    View the latest issues of the dedicated magazine for ICAS Chartered Accountants.

  4. Contact Us

    Get in touch with ICAS by phone, email or post, with dedicated contacts for Members, Students and firms.

Login
  • Annual renewal
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Find a CA
  1. About us
    1. Governance
  2. Members
    1. Become a member
    2. Newly qualified
    3. Manage my membership
    4. Benefits of membership
    5. Careers support
    6. Mentoring
    7. CA Wellbeing
    8. More for Members
    9. Area networks
    10. International communities
    11. Get involved
    12. Top Young CAs
    13. Career breaks
    14. ICAS podcast
    15. Newly admitted members 2022
    16. Newly admitted members 2023
  3. CA Students
    1. Student information
    2. Student resources
    3. Learning requirements
    4. Learning updates
    5. Learning blog
    6. Totum Pro | Student discount card
    7. CA Student wellbeing
  4. Become a CA
    1. How to become a CA
    2. Routes to becoming a CA
    3. CA Stories
    4. Find a training agreement
    5. Why become a CA
    6. Qualification information
    7. University exemptions
  5. Employers
    1. Become an Authorised Training Office
    2. Resources for Authorised Training Offices
    3. Professional entry
    4. Apprenticeships
  6. Find a CA
  7. ICAS events
    1. CA Summit
  8. CA magazine
  9. Insight
    1. Finance + Trust
    2. Finance + Technology
    3. Finance + EDI
    4. Finance + Mental Fitness
    5. Finance + Leadership
    6. Finance + Sustainability
  10. Professional resources
    1. Anti-money laundering
    2. Audit and assurance
    3. Brexit
    4. Business and governance
    5. Charities
    6. Coronavirus
    7. Corporate and financial reporting
    8. Cyber security
    9. Ethics
    10. Insolvency
    11. ICAS Research
    12. Pensions
    13. Practice
    14. Public sector
    15. Sustainability
    16. Tax
  11. CPD - professional development
    1. CPD courses and qualifications
    2. CPD news and updates
    3. CPD support and advice
  12. Regulation
    1. Complaints and sanctions
    2. Regulatory authorisations
    3. Guidance and help sheets
    4. Regulatory monitoring
  13. CA jobs
    1. CA jobs partner: Rutherford Cross
    2. Resources for your job search
    3. Advertise with CA jobs
    4. Hays | A Trusted ICAS CA Jobs Partner
    5. Azets | What's your ambition?
  14. Work at ICAS
    1. Business centres
    2. Meet our team
    3. Benefits
    4. Vacancies
    5. Imagine your career at ICAS
  15. Contact us
    1. Technical and regulation queries
    2. ICAS logo request

Staying abreast of sustainability

  • LinkedIn (opens new window)
  • Twitter (opens new window)
By CA magazine

26 May 2021

The climate crisis is having a dramatic impact on the role of many accountants. Anne Adrain, Head of Sustainability and Assurance, guides CAs through the resources to stay abreast of this fast-changing field.

Read June's CA magazine now

CAs are a vital part of any organisation. They undertake many different roles across a variety of sectors, ranging from financial institutions and accountancy firms to charities. But they can also be a force for good in wider society – including for the benefit of the environment. With the ever-growing emphasis on sustainability and ESG at government and regulatory level, as well as the increased expectations for organisations to behave responsibly, the role of the CA is changing rapidly. Existential factors such as climate change and social inequality are gradually becoming a mainstay of the work that CAs are expected to undertake.

Sustainability was, in the past, seen as a side issue, a nice-to-have, but now it is making its way into our core strategic decisions. More and more organisations are asking themselves: Are we treating our employees fairly? What are the effects of our business activities on society and the environment?

These discussions are taking place at all levels and, as a result, CAs now find themselves having to consider matters that traditionally have not been considered part of the core disciplines of an accountant. Nevertheless, CAs have a responsibility to maintain their continuing professional development and to stay abreast of new and emerging topics – chief among them sustainability.

Sustainability is relevant to the role of a CA in many ways: from accounting for, and reporting on, climate change and environmental considerations; assessing and managing the risk and opportunities associated with the social inclusion and equality agenda; or providing assurance on an organisation’s sustainability report.

ICAS has created a range of resources and content to assist CAs in maintaining and developing their knowledge in these areas.

Access ICAS professional development resources by visiting icas.com/members/professional-development

ICAS webinars

Ask ICAS: Company climate change reporting and audit
Hannah Armitage, from the Financial Reporting Lab of the FRC, and Julia Morris, AQR Inspector, FRC, join Anne Adrain to present the findings of its review of climate-related considerations.

ICAS Insights: Risk, resilience and sustainability
As international governments and standard-setters place sustainability at the top of their agenda, our speakers look at the importance of corporate resilience and how companies can embed sustainability within their business strategy, scenario planning and corporate reporting.

Accounting for Covid-19: Sustainability, impact and accounting professionals
Panellists discuss accounting for the pandemic in ways that do not produce inadvertent inequities.

ICAS Insights: The future of sustainability
Hannah Armitage of the FRC and Helen Marshall CA, CFO, Falcon Coffees, examine Covid-19’s impact on the sustainability agenda.

ICAS articles

“The consideration of climate-related risks in an audit of financial statements”
A breakdown of IASB guidance.

“Global bodies launch prototype climate-related financial disclosure standard”
How five standard-setters came together to lay the groundwork for environmental impact reporting.

“Sustainability reporting examples”
Resources for ways of measuring climate-related impact across different business sectors.

“Call for improved UN Sustainable Development Goals disclosures”
Accountancy bodies worldwide, including ICAS, look to establish best practice guidelines for reporting on SDGs.

“New approach for aligning doing business to the Sustainable Development Goals”
A look at “The Sustainable Development Goals, integrated thinking and the integrated goals” report by Professor Carol Adams of Durham University.

“Climate change reporting in annual reports”
Alan Simpson CA looks at the climate reporting environment in the UK and EU and the recommendations from the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

External resources

There are additional external resources that can help members improve their knowledge in this area

CDSB
The Climate Disclosure Standards Board is an international consortium of business and environmental NGOs.

TCFD Knowledge Hub
The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures’ portal to its resources and recommendations.

IASB
International Accounting Standards Board’s Nick Anderson on its climate-related disclosures.

A4S Knowledge Hub
All the information you need from the Prince Charles-backed Accounting 4 Sustainability organisation.

Financial Reporting Lab
An article from the FRC body that asks “Climate-related corporate reporting: where to next?”

Read June's CA magazine now

CA magazine: June 2021

By Sarah Speirs, ICAS Executive Director of Member Engagement and Communications

26 May 2021

2022-11-mitigo 2022-11-mitigo
ICAS logo

Footer links

  • Contact us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Privacy notice
  • CA magazine

Connect with ICAS

  • Facebook (opens new window) Facebook Icon
  • Twitter (opens new window) Twitter Icon
  • LinkedIn (opens new window) LinkedIn Icon
  • Instagram (opens new window) Instagram Icon

ICAS is a member of the following bodies

  • Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (opens new window) Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies logo
  • Chartered Accountants Worldwide (opens new window) Chartered Accountants Worldwide logo
  • Global Accounting Alliance (opens new window) Global Accounting Alliance
  • International Federation of Accountants (opens new window) IFAC
  • Access Accountancy (opens new window) Access Acountancy

Charities

  • ICAS Foundation (opens new window) ICAS Foundation
  • SCABA (opens new window) scaba

Accreditations

  • ISO 9001 - RGB (opens new window)
© ICAS 2022

The mark and designation “CA” is a registered trade mark of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), and is available for use in the UK and EU only to members of ICAS. If you are not a member of ICAS, you should not use the “CA” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to accountancy, tax or insolvency services. The mark and designation “Chartered Accountant” is a registered trade mark of ICAS, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and Chartered Accountants Ireland. If you are not a member of one of these organisations, you should not use the “Chartered Accountant” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to these services. Further restrictions on the use of these marks also apply where you are a member.

ICAS logo

Our cookie policy

ICAS.com uses cookies which are essential for our website to work. We would also like to use analytical cookies to help us improve our website and your user experience. Any data collected is anonymised. Please have a look at the further information in our cookie policy and confirm if you are happy for us to use analytical cookies: