ESG FRAMEWORK FATIGUE: NAVIGATING SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING FOR SMES

For early bird discount please use ESGFFEB100 discount code

VAT is not payable. Registration fees are fully inclusive of: 

• Tuition
• Course materials

Registration is done online by Credit/Debit Card for instant payment and a guaranteed secured place on the course (please note the University of York does not accept American Express cards).

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

This course cuts through that complexity and helps SME leaders and advisers turn sustainability reporting requirements into a focused, proportionate business strategy. Across four live online sessions, participants will build practical skills in double materiality assessment to prioritise the sustainability issues that matter,  carbon accounting, , governance, climate resilience, nature-related benefits and impacts, and building a compelling sustainability narrative that avoids greenwash. The course is designed to address common internal capability gaps and give participants tools they can use directly within their organisations.

Drawing on University of York expertise in environmental science, circular economy and sustainable management, the course combines academic insight with practical business application. Participants will learn how to identify material sustainability impacts, risks and opportunities, establish credible ESG priorities, calculate a robust carbon baseline, respond more effectively to supply-chain and customer requirements, reduce greenwashing risk, and strengthen organisational resilience.

By the end of the programme, participants will leave with practical outputs they can apply immediately, including a tailored sustainability priorities assessment, carbon baseline calculations, a proportionate governance approach, nature-related priorities, and a draft sustainability report aligned with the current EU Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard.

• Clearer understanding of which sustainability requirements matter and why
• An effective and proportionate governance approach suitable for an SME
• Stronger responses to customer and supply-chain ESG requests that differentiate you from your competitors
• Practical tools to develop a carbon and nature baseline and action plan
• Reduced reporting and greenwashing risk

Please find below the programme schedule. This course will be delivered over four weeks with one two-hour live session per week, for four weeks (8 hours total)

This course is designed primarily for SME owners, directors and managers responsible for sustainability, operations, procurement, compliance, governance or supply-chain relationships.

It will also be valuable for professionals advising or supporting SMEs, including accountants, business consultants, environmental and EHS specialists, procurement professionals, communications teams and governance advisers.

The course is particularly relevant to organisations operating in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, healthcare and life sciences, food and agriculture, logistics, professional services, hospitality, NHS supply chains and the charity sector.

Prerequisites: No previous ESG qualification is required. The course is suitable for professionals with practical experience of business management, operations, sustainability or advisory work who want to build a clearer and more applied understanding of ESG and sustainability reporting.

• Foundations of the EU Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard and its relationship with the wider ESG and sustainability reporting landscape.
• Sustainability materiality, impacts, risks and opportunities, including how materiality principles can support SME decision-making.
• Proportionate sustainability governance, leadership accountabilities and embedding a sustainability culture within your organisation.
• Carbon literacy and practical Scope 1, 2 and relevant Scope 3 emissions data collection techniques.
• Climate resilience, physical and transition risk identification, and scenario-based continuity planning.
• Biodiversity and nature-related dependencies and impacts, including relevant elements of the TNFD LEAP framework.
• Developing credible sustainability reporting, tracking relevant metrics and reducing greenwashing risk.

Format: Live online delivery through four interactive two-hour sessions, combining expert-led teaching, practical exercises, real-world examples and participant discussion

Online sessions: Four two-hour live sessions (8 hours total), covering core frameworks, theory, data preparation and practical application through real-world examples.

Teaching Styles: Theory brought to life through real-world examples, interactive exercises, carbon accounting hackathons, peer review and mentoring, group discussion, and live scenario design.