Many businesses and corporations are used to the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that has been established for decades. The idea of CSR is based on the notion of corporate philanthropy where wealthy businessmen and large corporations provide support to charities and social causes with the profit and wealth that they have accumulated through the economic system. However, CSR programmes and initiatives have been observed to have little or no influence on the development of the corporation’s strategy, business model, risk management framework and financial performance. In some cases, CSR becomes an unessential but necessary cost for corporations to build a good reputation.
When corporations fail to move beyond CSR works to manage the wider scope of ESG or Sustainability, they risk losing sight of material matters related to economic, environmental and social aspects that will inevitably impact the financial performance, resilience or even survival of the corporation. ESG and Sustainability is no longer just about building a good reputation of being a responsible business entity on the outside ,but more importantly it is intrinsically a part of how a business is operated from within. In contrast with CSR work, ESG and Sustainability must always have clear targets and clear pathways on how these targets can be met.
Avantedge Consulting Group based out of Malaysia has wide regional and sectorial expertise to help any corporation in the process of 'soul searching' in order to set an objective baseline of its health and condition based on standards, science and statutes in terms of ESG and Sustainability. “The Group designs blueprints, roadmaps and frameworks with the right metrics and targets in place, and work with the corporation's highest governance body to plan, organize, execute, manage and disclose its various approaches, impacts and performance results” says Jason Lee, Founder of Avantedge Consulting Group.
Avantedge Consulting Group positions itself first and foremost as an expert on Sustainability standards and frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures(TCFD) Recommendations, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), OECD standards on responsible business conduct, United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) principles for banking and investment, and other Green, Social and Sustainability linked capital and financing principles. Standards and frameworks translate highlevel aspirations and ambitions such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement into concrete and identifiable pathways and actions for corporations.
Building Sustainable Strategies
Avantedge Consulting Group helps build Sustainability management and strategies of corporations from the ground up by using standards and frameworks as the cornerstone and foundation. It has demonstrated that with its holistic expertise on standards and frameworks, the Group has significantly enabled corporations to advance their management of stakeholders, impacts, risks and non financial performance, and ultimately achieve ESG and Sustainability milestones that are very specific to the organization. Avantedge Consulting Group has also enabled corporations to publicly showcase their ESG or Sustainability growth and accomplishments through high quality Sustainability reporting and disclosures.
This enables investors, financial institutions, regulators and even customers to better assess the corporation's risks and potentials, and reward them for being good' and `doing good'. "The Group's business know-how is layered on competencies that relate to established standards,proven scientific methodologies, and international, regional and local regulations and conventions. Therefore, clients are able to objectively and systematically manage material ESG and Sustainability matters from its 'as is' to its 'to be' milestones, and even secure capital and financing in this area”, adds Jason.
Avantedge Consulting Group has enabled public listed and multinational corporations to publicly showcase their ESG or Sustainability growth and accomplishments through high quality standards based Sustainability management and reporting
Further, Avantedge Consulting Group has a proprietary Industry 4.0 Canvas that is based on the Business Model Canvas whereby it provides Industry 4.0 transformation roadmaps that is specific to each client. The Industry 4.0 Canvas layers the planning, organizing, implementation and management of near to long term technological adoption such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Industrial Internet of Things, and Cyber Physical Systems based on in-depth modelling and remodeling of the business and its business processes. The Group believes that Industry 4.0 should not only drive progress and profits, but also sustainable development.
All encompassing Development
Avantedge Consulting Group is currently focusing on its current Sustainability service offerings while being in the position to participate in various updates and developments of standards, frameworks, and best practices. It puts a lot of focus and spends significant resources on keeping up with the most up to date certifications and accreditations in accordance to changes is standards and frameworks, so that it could enable its clients to comply with the latest and most all encompassing standards and frameworks.
Very often clients come to Avantedge Consulting Group proactively, after having experiences with other ESG or Sustainability consultants who could only provide them with very theoretical and generalized advisory services that is reproduced or replicated from publications by researchers, academics or regulators. As a result, these corporations were neither able to contribute to sustainable development, comply with standards and frameworks, set and achieve any meaningful Sustainability related milestones, nor improve their ratings on Sustainability indices. "The Group hopes to continue on this path to help businesses contribute to sustainable development, by aligning our contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement Ambitions, Net Zero Goals and beyond” concludes Jason.
Jason Lee, Founder, Avantedge Consulting Group
Jason is the Founder of the Avantedge Consulting Group. Trained as an engineer and a lawyer, he is a GRI Certified Sustainability Professional who is also an expert on other Sustainability frameworks and protocols. His experience and expertise includes various regulatory frameworks and taxonomies adopted by central regulators, stock exchanges and securities commissions across ASEAN. The Group has provided specialized consulting services to Boards of multiple public listed companies on their Sustainability strategy, management and also reporting, while also building Sustainability related know how and competencies in these organizations.
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