ESG
Translating climate data into corporate value For businesses facing these changes, the main challenge is convincing board members that sustainability is more than just a regulatory cost.
Simon Weaver, Global Head of Sustainability Advisory at KPMG International, suggests three distinct approaches to shifting this narrative, starting with language.
“ In sustainability, we often talk about the language of sustainability versus the language of business, and this immediately makes it sound like a compliance-led topic versus a performance-led one,” he says.
“ Few organisations have succeeded in translating sustainability language into financial terms that boards and finance teams recognise – Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation( EBITDA) bridges, cash flow and capital expenditures( CapEx) impacts, balance sheet exposure and credible risk ranges, so we need to shift the narrative here.”
Second, to put sustainability at the centre of business decisions, companies should avoid focusing only on shortterm results.
“ Strategic investments often don’ t look far enough to demonstrate the return on investment for sustainability
100 August 2026