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Free 90-minute University of York Masterclass introducing ESG Framework Fatigue: Navigating Sustainability Reporting for SMEs, our four-week online course starting in February 2027.

Are ESG demands draining your Business resources?

The rules of doing business are changing, with growing sustainability and ESG expectations from customers, supply chains, lenders and investors. For small and medium-sized enterprises, responding to these demands can quickly become complex, time-consuming and difficult to translate into practical action.

ESG reporting should not become a tick-box burden. Done well, it can help your organisation focus on what really matters, respond more confidently to customer and supply-chain requests, strengthen credibility and identify opportunities to improve resilience and performance.

This free 90-minute University of York Masterclass will help you cut through the complexity. Led by Professor Jason Snape, former Global Head of Environmental Protection at AstraZeneca, and Dr Laura Harrison, an expert in sustainability and SME capability building, the session will introduce practical approaches to sustainability reporting, carbon accounting, governance, nature-related impacts and greenwashing risk.

The Masterclass also provides an introduction to the forthcoming four-week online course, ESG Framework Fatigue: Navigating Sustainability Reporting for SMEs, starting on 23 February 2027. It will give you a practical insight into the challenges addressed in the full course and the tools participants will use to develop a more proportionate and effective approach to sustainability reporting.

What you will learn in 90 minutes

This free Masterclass offers a practical introduction to some of the key challenges addressed in our forthcoming four-week course, ESG Framework Fatigue: Navigating Sustainability Reporting for SMEs.

During the session, you will:

• Explore the changing sustainability reporting landscape for SMEs, including the new EU Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard.
• Consider how to identify the sustainability issues that matter most to your organisation without creating unnecessary reporting burden.
• See how a more proportionate approach to ESG reporting can strengthen credibility and support customer and supply-chain relationships.

The full course then goes further, helping participants apply these principles in practice through carbon accounting, sustainability prioritisation, governance, nature-related impacts and credible reporting.

You will also have the opportunity to ask the course leaders questions and discuss the challenges facing your organisation.

Who should attend?

This masterclass is designed for decision-makers and advisors looking for pragmatic, cost-effective ESG strategies: 

• SME Leaders: Business owners, directors, senior managers, operations leads, and procurement/supply chain specialists. 
• Sustainability and risk leads: Sustainability managers, EHS leads, environmental consultants, and compliance officers. 
• Professional advisors: Accountants, management consultants, governance advisors, and HR professionals supporting SME clients. 
• Key Sectors: Manufacturing, construction, healthcare/life sciences, food & agriculture, logistics, hospitality, NHS suppliers, and charities. 

No prior formal ESG certifications are required. 

Want to go further?

The full four-week course, ESG Framework Fatigue: Navigating Sustainability Reporting for SMEs, will support participants in applying these principles directly within their organisations. Participants will develop practical outputs including carbon baseline calculations, sustainability priorities, a proportionate governance approach, nature-related priorities and a draft sustainability report aligned with the EU Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard.

Full course: ESG Framework Fatigue: Navigating Sustainability Reporting for SMEs
Dates: 23 February–16 March 2027
Time: Tuesdays, 10:00–12:00
Format: Four live online sessions
Fee: £595

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Meet Your masterclass hosts

• Professor Jason Snape: Former Global Head of Environmental Protection at AstraZeneca and member of its Global Sustainability Leadership Team, with extensive experience in corporate sustainability and ESG.
• Dr Laura Harrison: Sustainability researcher and practitioner specialising in corporate governance, circular economy and building practical ESG capability for SMEs.