ESS - Environmental & Sustainability Solutions
Who We Are
Environmental & Sustainability Solutions CC (ESS) is a professional consultancy that focuses on the interface between Environment and Business. We specialise in the emerging field of Sustainability Accounting. ESS is also an internationally certified training provider on sustainability reporting for the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
Services We Offer
• Training and consultancy on Cleaner Production, Material Flow Cost Accounting and Environmental Management Accounting (EMA)
• Environmental cost assessments and costing models
• Integration of EMA in existing accounting systems
• Carbon and other environmental footprinting
• Environmental legal compliance
• Development of sustainability policies and strategies
• Integration of sustainability considerations in core business
• Training, advice and consulting on Sustainability Reporting
• External assurance of sustainability reports (AA1000AS)
• Environmental audits and due diligence
• Environmental risk management
| Contact Details |
| +27 (0)82 395 7582 / +27 (0)82 882 7700 |
• ESS have been certified by the Global Reporting Initiative as training providers on sustainability reporting
• ESS have been licensed by AccountAbility to provide external assurance on sustainability reports
• Members of ESS:
o Represented South Africa on the United Nations Expert Working Group on Environmental Management Accounting
o Represented South Africa on the ISO work group for the development of the ISO standard on Material Flow Cost Accounting
o Were founding members and are directors of the Environmental Management Accounting Network Africa
o Represent EMAN-Africa on EMAN-Global
o Serve on the Council of the Fossil Fuel Foundation
Members of ESS voluntarily participate in various initiatives for the common good:
• Serve on the board of the EMAN-Africa, a non-profit organisation for the promotion of sustainability accounting in Africa
• Represent South Africa on the work group for the development of ISO 14051 on Material Flow Cost Accounting
• Serve on TC207 (environmental management) and TC242 (energy efficiency) of the SA Bureau of Standards
• Serve as adjudicator for the Dept of Defence environmental award program
• Serve on the Council of the Fossil Fuel Foundation
• Facilitated an introductory workshop on sustainability reporting for the Business Council for Sustainable Development Zimbabwe
• Supported a student project on concrete vessel construction with advice on the environmental impacts thereof
• Organisational stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative
• Member of the National Small Business Chamber
• Member of the Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research in Scotland
• Partnership with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) in South Africa
• Partnership with the Centre for Environmental Accountability (CENAC) in Zimbabwe
• Partnership with the University of Stellenbosch Business School
ESS has a B-BBEE status of Level 4 with a 100% B-BBEE Procurement Recognition level.
Press Room
Environmental Accounting and Environmental Policies – Two Sides of a Coin
8 Mar 2012
Our planet is under threat due to increasing demands on its dwindling resources. The implementation of environmental policies is an important mechanism to support a more sustainable way of living. Policies can affect environmental behaviour in three ways: (i) it can alter the options open to a government official or other individual; (ii) it can alter the cost and/or benefits relevant to a government official or other individual (iii) it can alter the perceptions of government officials or other individuals that are attached to environmental change.
Environmental Management Accounting For A More Sustainable Business
16 Aug 2011
Recent developments have seen the emergence of a new discipline within the field of environmental accounting, namely Environmental Management Accounting (EMA). In November 2005, the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) promulgated an international guidance document on the topic. One could ask: is this another regulation, another burden for business? The answer can be emphatically - No! EMA is a voluntary approach to assess the environmental costs of a company, to identify areas of wastage and to implement more environmentally sustainable and cost-efficient practices.