Australia’s sustainability landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation as new regulations spanning modern slavery legislation and biodiversity offsetting take effect. ESG regulations are no longer a future consideration. Yet, there are sustainability consultants who continue to use outdated and inefficient technologies like spreadsheets and siloed platforms. This is a missed opportunity.
Sophisticated risk management tools have historically been utilized by traditional enterprise risk and compliance teams, and it is time for sustainability consultants to have a place at the digital risk table, and not just for climate risk saturation. The operational, reputational, and legal risks entwined within ESG frameworks need to be prioritized.
For sustainability to become a core component of a business strategy, risk and obligations within sustainability frameworks need to be integrated within the enterprise resource planning systems that drive enterprise risk management.
Australia’s ESG Complexity is Compounding
Australia’s ESG obligations are not just
– Emissions tracking (Scope 1–3)
– Circular economy transitions
– Supplier due diligence and human rights
– Environmental approvals and offset schemes
– State-by-state biodiversity laws
– WHS and psychosocial risks
These issues generate dozens of interrelated cross-department, cross-border, and cross-temporal risks.
When compliance gaps are stored in Excel, such an oversight report gives the idea that sustainability is not part of the executive risk oversight, giving the false idea that ESG is not a fully integrated part of the business strategy.
Instead of just monitoring commitments, sustainability consultants, through risk management software, should be able to embed ownership and control of risk.
Acting Before ESG Risks Become Liabilities
Instead of updating ESG reports to lower the risk of liability and focusing on what the company did a year ago, think of what risks can be avoided and what liabilities can be prevented.
State of the art risk management technologies provide:
– ESG risk heat maps.
– Notification when compliance is overdue.
– Stacked controls and mitigations on sustainability.
– Actionable, owner-assigned, and deadline-driven registers.
Think about assessing modern slavery risks on supplier contracts in real time and mapping climate risks with capital investment plans.
That is the kind of future ESG risk consultants must control and lead.
From Risk Register to Reputation Management
More than ever, issues of sustainability, compliance, and brand reputation are intertwined. Poor outcomes in modern slavery transparency assessments, unmet emission targets, and false-advertising claims can all lead to major operational fallout.
Through risk management software, consultants can assist organizations in:
Identifying failures in sustainability and relating them to real business consequences
Identifying and monitoring reputational risks and regulatory risks
Valuing ESG controls in monetary terms (e.g., carbon penalties avoided, offsets, etc.)
Synchronizing sustainability targets and metrics to the risk appetite of the board
These changes shift ESG focus from the communications department to an essential component in risk governance, where it should be.
The Expected Demand for Sustainability Consultants
Organizations are anticipating mandatory climate-related financial disclosures, which means there will be more consultants who understand the ESG frameworks and enterprise risk tools.
Upskilling is required.
Sustainability consultants will have to learn how to use risk taxonomies, control mapping, mitigation planning, and audit traceability. They will need to set up risk management systems not only for safety and financial risks, but also for risks around biodiversity, due diligence in supply chains, and pathways for emission reductions.
This is essential in order to embed sustainability in governance.
The Board is Interested
Australian boards are being asked to show how they monitor risks related to ESG. But without integrated systems, the sustainability data in board reports remains hidden.
When sustainability risks are integrated into risk management systems, they are:
– Auditable
– Prioritized
– Monitored by Internal Audit
– Reportable to regulators/investors
Obtaining real-time reporting on climate risk, modern slavery compliance, and circular economy transitions on a single platform is made possible by consultants who assist clients in systems integration.
This is about readiness, not just risk.
Conclusion
The profession is advancing: you can no longer just prepare strategy, advise on implementing sustainability, or produce ESG reports. Consultants are now expected to facilitate risk accountability, integrate sustainability into governance, and empower insight-driven actions.
Sprint management software will not considered as just an IT solution, it paves the way for achieving the ESG ambition and delivering it operationally.
Sustainability consultants who excel in this area will not be ticking off compliance requirements. Instead, they will be defining, and transforming, the standard for corporate integrity in Australia.
