Green audit

Green Audit Planning & Reporting

ByCA Guru Prasad MGURU & JANA

Green audit – Planning and reportingCA Guru Prasad – Guru & Jana, Chartered Accountants

1 Green Audit Necessity of Green Audit External audit vs. Internal Audit. Internal Audit vs. Green Audit.

2 Audit Planning Things to be considered. Audit Program. AA1000, Questions to be asked

4. Areas of concern Areas of concern. Questions to be asked

5. Audit Reporting Reporting in India. Need of reporting Benefits GRI Guidelines Various Indian Companies Reports. Statistics.

6. How to implement it in personal life

CONTENTS

3 Financial Implications Things to be considered. Questions to be asked

• To comply with

• More than 3,000 companies worldwide issue sustainability reports.

• More than two-thirds of the Fortune Global 500 companies publish some form of sustainability or corporate responsibility report with a long-term trend Although reporting is voluntary, the broad trend is toward greater disclosure.

• The risk for those not communicating their climate change data is that their stakeholders will seek this information from potentially less-reliable third party sources.

• Companies that do not report face challenges in ensuring that their reports are an effective communication tool.

Legislations

Organization Policies

Necessity of Audit

Necessity of Audit

• The information needs to be relevant, complete and in line with the expectations of stakeholders. Done well, it provides a company with the opportunity to present a clear picture of the measures it is taking to meet the challenges and opportunities of climate change.

• Some leading organizations are beginning to include their integrated financial and nonfinancial data in a single report.

• Stakeholder demand for transparency.

EXTERNAL AUDIT• An assessment of the

condition of the local environment, usually resulting in a State of the Environment Report.

• Internal audit - consisting of two areas:

• Policy Impact Assessment - a review of the activities (objectives, services, practices and policies) of the authority' and

• Management Audit - a review of the procedures and structures by which environmental policies are managed by the authority'

INTERNAL AUDIT

TYPES OF AUDIT

• Internal Audit needs to assure the management of a company about the integrity, consistency and timeliness of its externally reported information.

• Executives and boards are acutely aware of the growing demand for more transparent reporting of climate change and sustainability business strategies, initiatives and performance.

• Therefore, companies are now using many voluntary reporting channels, including external sustainability and annual reports, external websites, the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Climate Registry.

• Internal Audit can assist in evaluating the accuracy and credibility of sustainability reporting in advance of the increasing scrutiny this information is attracting from external stakeholders.

Internal Audit vs. Green Audit

Audit Planning

Audit Planning:

The Auditor should consider the following:

(ISAE3000)

Engagement circumstance:- Reasonable Assurance engagement(or limited assurance engagement)- Attestation Engagement(or Direct engagement)

Engagement Risk: Engagement team: Intended users: Subject matter of information: Subsequent events:

Audit Planning:

Audit Program

Designed to verify that the regulatory compliance programs are in place, exist, in use and comply with regulatory requirements

Audit Planning:What an audit program should address Confirmation of compliance with environmental rules and

regulations• Reporting and monitoring systems• Structure of system, including layout and personnel• Response to emergencies and changes• Investment in compliance equipment, etc.

Identification of potential and current problem areas• Weaknesses• Solving problems internally• Protecting company assets• Strengths in programs to provide positive reinforcement• Recognizing potential areas of opportunities at the facility

and other facilities• Potential to commercialize processes

Accountability's AA1000 series are principles-based standards to help organizations become more accountable, responsible and sustainable.

The standards are developed through a multi-stakeholder consultation process which ensures they are written for those they impact, not just those who may gain from them. They are used by a broad spectrum of organizations -- multinational businesses, small and medium enterprises, governments and civil societies.

The following principles must be applied in an assurance process undertaken using the AA1000 Assurance Standard:

• Principle 1. (P.1.) Materiality • Principle 2. (P.2.) Completeness • Principle 3. (P.3.) Responsiveness

Audit Planning:

Audit Planning:

Audit Planning:

Does the company currently have adequate controls and processes in place in anticipation of the possibility that proposed regulations may require the inclusion of climate change information in annual reports?

Is Internal Audit working with the organization’s external auditors to create transparent reporting of non-financial data?

Has the company’s management discussed with its board the importance of a climate change and its sustainability strategy ?

(continued…….)

Audit Planning:

Does the organization fully grasp the strategic implications of climate change risk to it and are enterprise-wide programs in place to define, monitor and assess these risks?

Does the Internal Audit team have the necessary skills and people to evaluate these new risks?

Are climate change and sustainability risks captured in the company’s enterprise-wide risk-assessment process?

Financial Implications:

Has the organization decided on what is material for its non-financial reporting purposes?

Are key performance indicators (KPIs) and assignment of risk responsibility measures in place in the company?

Financial Implications:

Greatest challenge is implementing the strategies across their operational units and key functional areas.

Climate change and sustainability-related issues are associated with physical risks linked to the physical impact of climate change.

Value chain risk associated with customers and suppliers is a growing operational risk area.

Areas of Concern

Questions Internal Audit should ask?

What standards are being used for measurement in the company with respect to,

• Safety• Waste management.• Improvement in the supply chain management . And etc

Has the company estimated how a small long-term change in its weather-related patterns or energy costs would affect its entire supply chain and margins?

Are there adequate project management measurements in place in the organization?

Has it completed a lifecycle greenhouse gas assessment of its products and/or services?

Areas of Concern

REPORTING

Reporting In India

India has no mandatory environmental or social reporting requirement for public companies.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) does not make any mention of environmental or social reporting requirements in its “Disclosure and Investor Protection” guidelines.

India’s National Environmental Policy (NEP) 2006 has recommended the use of “standardized environmental accounting practices and norms in preparation of statutory financial statements for large industrial enterprises.” To date, no such standards have been introduced.

Section 217 of the companies act requires a report by its Board of directors, with respect to the conservation of energy, technology absorption, foreign exchange earnings and outgo, in such manner as may be prescribed

According to the survey report released by GRI 24 companies in India have published their sustainability reports.

Reporting In India

Reporting

Reporting is now the norm, not the exception

among the worlds largest companies. Since

motivation for the reporting have shifted away from

reactive and risk management factors and toward

aspiration and innovative ones, reporting to

become more common at the national level and in

smaller companies in the near future.

An organization that reports on its sustainability practices is expected to show not only where it has succeeded, but where it may have fallen short.

This creates an element of reputational risk in the short term . But over the long term, the risk is out weighted by significant benefits:

• Better measurement of the organization’s “triple bottom line” performance; • Greater stakeholder trust; improved risk

management; and increased operational efficiency.

Reporting

Financial Strategic

If a company can demonstrate good environmental performance and an acceptable level of environmental liability to its stakeholders, it may benefit financially in that its share price may increase

Potential strategic benefits include improving the company image and building better relations with relevant stakeholder groups.

BENEFITS

Reporting

Reporting

GRI Guidelines:

GRI has been supported by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Most developed nations follow GRI Guidelines. Further, it is the most comprehensive standard available on environmental reporting.

GRI suggests some guidelines for ensuring that reports are of acceptable quality. They should be timely, for example, and clearly understandable to non experts. They should be balanced, and they should be accurate, meaning that certain types of oversight or assurance are necessary.

Most of the organizations develop key performance indicators(KPI) on which to report.

GRI Reporting Framework

In deciding what to disclose the following four factors should be considered

1. Materiality2. Stakeholders Inclusiveness3. Sustainability context4. Completeness

Reporting

1)Materiality : In defining material topics, take into account the following:

• Reasonably estimable sustainability impacts, risks, or opportunities (e.g., global warming, HIV-AIDS, poverty) identified through sound investigation by people with recognized expertise, or by expert bodies with recognized credentials in the field.

• Main sustainability interests/topics and Indicators raised by stakeholders (e.g., vulnerable groups within local communities, civil society).

• The main topics and future challenges for the sector reported by peers and competitors.

• Relevant laws, regulations, international agreements, or voluntary agreements with strategic significance to the organization and its stakeholders.

(Continued…….)

Reporting

Reporting

Materiality :

• Key organizational values, policies, strategies, operational management systems, goals, and targets.

• The interests/expectations of stakeholders specifically invested in the success of the organization (e.g., employees, shareholders, and suppliers).

• Significant risks to the organization. • Critical factors for enabling organizational success.• The core competencies of the organization and the

manner in which they can or could contribute to sustainable development.

2) Stakeholder Inclusiveness : : the following factors should be considered

The organization can describe the stakeholders to whom it considers itself accountable.

• The report content draws upon the outcomes of stakeholder engagement processes used by the organization in its ongoing activities, and as required by the legal and institutional framework in which it operates.

• The report content draws upon the outcomes of any stakeholder engagement processes undertaken specifically for the report.

• The stakeholder engagement processes that inform decisions about the report are consistent with the scope and boundary of the report.

Reporting

3) Sustainability Context: : the following factors should be considered

The organization presents its understanding of sustainable development and draws on objective and available information as well as measures of sustainable development for the topics covered in the report.

The organization presents its performance with reference to broader sustainable development conditions and goals, as reflected in recognized sectoral, local, regional, and/or global publications.

The organization presents its performance in a manner that attempts to communicate the magnitude of its impact and contribution in appropriate geographical contexts.

The report describes how sustainability topics relate to long-term organizational strategy, risks, and opportunities, including supply-chain topics.

Reporting

4) Completeness: : The following factors should be considered The report was developed taking into account the entire chain of

entities upstream and downstream, and covers and prioritizes all information that should reasonably be considered material on the basis of the principles of materiality, sustainability context, and stakeholder inclusiveness.

The report includes all entities that meet the criteria of being subject to control or significant influence of the reporting organization unless otherwise declared.

The information in the report includes all significant actions or events in the reporting period, and reasonable estimates of significant future impacts of past events when those impacts are reasonably foreseeable and may become unavoidable or irreversible.

The report does not omit relevant information that would influence or inform stakeholder assessments or decisions, or that would reflect significant economic, environmental, and social impacts.

Reporting

The important challenges of corporate environmental reporting today can be summarized in three words

1.Continuity, 2.Comparability and 3.Credibility

Reporting

Three pillars of sustainability

Reporting

Sustainability report of Wipro- FY2009-10

Sustainability report of BPCL- FY2009-10

Sustainability report of ONGC- FY2009-10

Step-1 Decide to Report

Green Audit Reporting Step By Step

Step-2 Identify the Audience for the Report


Review and identification Environmental impacts.Step-3


Step-4 PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENT POLICY


Step-5 GATHER DATA AND PREPARE INFORMATION


Step-6 ASSURANCE


Step-7 Finalize and publish the report


STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

STEP 6

STEP 7

IDENTIFY THE AUDIENCE FOR THE REPORT

FINALIZE AND PUBLISH THE REPORT

ASSURANCE

GATHER DATA AND PREPARE INFORMATION

PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENT POLICY

REVIEW AND IDENTIFICATION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS.

IDENTIFY THE AUDIENCE FOR THE REPORT

DECIDE TO REPORT


Technology

Green audit