Powered by data: the launch of our sustainability advisory service

Larking Gowen is now offering an ESG advisory service and has entered a strategic partnership with neoeco, a software platform focusing on ESG reporting.

Businesses are under increasing pressure to show that they have sound ESG (environmental, social and governance) policies in place, and that these are both implemented and effective.

Partner Laurie Hill says that the key to do this is data. "The need to demonstrate your ESG credentials is being driven by top-down regulation currently impacting larger businesses, and it's beginning to be pushed down the supply chains. If you're being asked to tender for a particular contract that requires demonstrable sustainability credentials, you've got the data to back up your ESG policy, and you can be ahead of the game," he said.

Jake Bond, VP of Business Development at neoeco, explains: "We identified that a lot of the foundational data required for ESG reporting is held by accountants and finance teams. They play a key role in sustainability reporting by managing critical accounting data. With neoeco, you can easily capture supply chain primary data through our intuitive supply chain data capturing module, accounting data directly from the general ledger, and LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) product data.

"It's an all-in-one, end-to-end solution that integrates seamlessly with your existing systems. Our AI-driven technology automatically aligns transactions with relevant sustainability factors using activity-based calculations," he added.

Data can be collected from various sources, including accounting software, HR systems, ERP systems, and smart energy meters, then reconciled with sustainability points from national or international databases. This data not only generates reports but also aids in strategic planning and forecasting.

Adam Soall, Director of Norwich-based removal firm, Loads4Less, is the first client to be signed up to the ESG advisory service and neoeco's software package. He is passionate about sustainability and is helping Larking Gowen and neoeco spread the word about the benefits of ESG data capture and reporting.

Laurie Hill said: "If you are making changes to your business from the sustainability perspective and you have the add-on of a software platform, this can help business owners make confident data driven decisions.

"There is also a consideration for business owners to apply a sustainability uplift to pricing metrics because of green credentials, and potentially win business over firms that do not have the same data to hand.”

Adam recently recorded an episode of Larking Gowen's podcast, where he chatted to Laurie Hill and neoeco about his journey in more detail - listen here