Terrafiniti
Sustainability Consultancy, Sustainability Consultants, Sustainability
Are carbon neutrality claims still viable in an increasingly sceptical environment? Many large companies have grown wary of them, yet they remain common in the SME space, some fuelled by questionable labelling schemes. Despite sustained regulatory focus, businesses keep getting these communications wrong. So, what’s going on? This page explains what ‘carbon neutral’ means, why …
Within weeks of each other this summer, the revised ESRS and the new B Corp standards both changed how materiality works, and they appear to point in opposite directions. One trims what you must disclose. The other sets mandatory requirements. Read together they are not a contradiction but a lesson in where materiality now sits, who gets to make judgments, and why the assessment is always worth doing well.
Most organisations treat materiality as a reporting exercise, a box to tick on the way to disclosure. It's really one of the most strategic decisions a business makes: a live choice about what matters most, and what your organisation most affects. Treating it as reporting-first gets the logic the wrong way round.
Done well, materiality shapes strategy, targets and budgets, and it's never truly finished, but revisited as your business and its context change. Treated as compliance, it just produces a matrix.
Clear, credible communication of future sustainability ambitions is essential for building trust and avoiding accusations of greenwashing. This article explores how organisations can articulate long-term goals without overstating progress, by grounding ambitions in evidence, setting measurable milestones, and being transparent about uncertainties and trade‑offs. It highlights practical ways to align messaging with action, balance optimism with realism, and ensure claims remain accountable over time, helping stakeholders understand not just where you want to go, but how you will get there.
A well-defined sustainability ambition is central to effective strategy and long-term value creation. It outlines where a company will focus its sustainability efforts, what it aims to achieve, and the pace of progress. By integrating strategic direction, material focus, operational planning, cultural alignment, and stakeholder communication, organisations can move beyond compliance to embed sustainability as a driver of innovation and resilience.
Sustainability professionals face mounting challenges as global pressures, climate change, ecological degradation, and social inequality, intensify. At the same time, corporate focus and resources for sustainability are under strain due to shifting political and economic priorities.
To drive meaningful sustainability performance, professionals must ensure their organisations clearly understand how emerging sustainability trends will shape future business outcomes. This requires robust strategic analysis to build clarity, secure internal buy-in, and establish a credible business case.
Despite external pressures, the urgency for corporate sustainability remains unchanged. It is a strategic necessity, and its success depends on informed assessment, deliberate planning, and decisive action.
Terrafiniti worked with WBCSD’s Corporate Performance & Accountability programme by researching and writing the July 2025 report ‘Managing Uncertainty in Sustainability Disclosure’. The publication offers practical guidance, analysis, and examples to help companies navigate the complexities of sustainability reporting - particularly in addressing and communicating uncertainty and its financial implications. Drawing on expert insights and collaboration with WBCSD members, standard setters, accountants, and investors, the report distils key challenges and requirements. It supports businesses in aligning their disclosures with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (IFRS S1 and S2).
More Sustainability Disclosures (potentially) hove into view – what is the UK’s approach and what are the implications?
In June 2025, the UK Government published draft versions of its first two Sustainability Reporting Standards—UK SRS S1 and S2—for public consultation. These proposals are closely aligned with the ISSB’s IFRS S1 and S2, with only minor UK-specific modifications. The aim is to maintain international consistency while tailoring the standards for UK use. The consultation, which runs until 17 September 2025, seeks stakeholder input to inform a decision on whether and how the ISSB standards should be formally adopted in the UK.
Two major coffee brands, Lavazza and Dualit, have had their adverts banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making misleading claims that their coffee pods and bags were ‘compostable’.
The ASA found that both companies gave the false impression that these products could be disposed of in domestic compost bins, when in reality they require specialist industrial composting facilities to break down properly.
Both brands argued that their products were certified to the European Standard EN13432, indicating industrial compostability, and claimed they did not intend to suggest home composting was possible. However, the ASA ruled that the term ‘compostable’ in the context of consumer products for home use would likely be interpreted by the average consumer as suitable for home composting.
The watchdog emphasised that failing to clarify such distinctions risks misleading consumers. The cases highlight the importance for brands to provide clear, accurate, and substantiated environmental claims, ensuring that consumers are not misled about the details of product disposal. The ruling serves as a lesson for marketeers that context, nuance and precision are essential to avoid regulatory action and reputational damage.
Sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) training is pivotal for embedding sustainability into a company’s operations, enhancing staff capabilities, and delivering leadership strategies.
Terrafiniti offers expert-led training that covers fundamental sustainability principles, team-building, leadership development, and bespoke mentoring. With an increasing focus on climate and nature challenges, such training empowers businesses to understand how sustainability fits into business strategy and management, innovate responsibly, and strengthen market reputation. This commitment not only befits your bottom line, but also fosters customer trust and loyalty.
Reputation is widely regarded as one the most valuable assets of an organisation. Sustainability can also be an important contributor to both reputation and several dimensions of business value.
In this article we explore different dimensions of reputational risk, how it might be affected and how you can protect it.
With increasing warnings from scientists, it’s very clear that we must reduce our alcohol use and set a reduction pathway towards Net Zero Alcohol.
To deliver our goal we have identified a strategic framework which will flexibly deploy multiple policy solutions, as appropriate, to realise our vision. So why not pour a glass of your favourite tipple, sit down, and take a read?
