Photo credit: Emily Gaub, United States
ERM has governance, reporting and internal review processes in place to help ensure the quality of information contained within this report, as well as stakeholder confidence in the accuracy and reliability of our reporting.
We have gathered, recorded, compiled, analyzed and reported information and processes used in the preparation of this report in a way that can be subject to examination and which establishes the quality and materiality of the information. Individuals who did not prepare our Sustainability Report 2021 have reviewed the information reported and the processes for determining report content and stakeholder engagement.
External assurance
The external assurance was built on internationally recognized methodologies including AA1000AS. We engaged with an external assurance provider to conduct an independent assessment of the following:
- The impacts of a changed working environment will have long-term implications for ERM – to what extent has ERM addressed these challenges in the Sustainability Report?
- How effectively has ERM responded to the diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&I) agenda?
- To what extent is ERM’s ambition and commitments reflecting the company’s desired leadership position?
Click here to read the external assurance statement.
External panel
We continue to enhance our external assurance process. In FY21, ERM convened a panel of seven external thought leaders to review and provide independent comments on ERM's materiality assessment process and our draft report. Our external assurance provider engaged with the panel members directly and provided their consolidated feedback to ERM to inform finalization of this report. The panel’s feedback was considered in forming the external assurance statement and reflected in a separate Management Report to the Executive Committee. Comments from the external panel members are featured below.
John Dony
Senior Director of Thought Leadership and Director of the Campbell Institute at the National Safety Council
“Amidst a challenging year, it was impressive to see ERM continue to excel in safety & health. ERM’s system-based approach, with active engagement of leadership and workers, led to results many times better than typically seen in the sector.”
Jeanne-Marie Gescher, OBE
beyondmetrics advisory and Senior Fellow SOAS China Institute
"ERM's sustainability report demonstrates a robust exploration of materiality with regard to the issues of the past year and the urgent need for continued and accelerated change. Set within ERM's wider aspirations for leadership, the report points to a business which has significant potential to apply its practical experience to the complex challenges that will define this decade."
Mike Krzus
Independent corporate reporting consultant and researcher
"I urge ERM to think differently about the purpose of their sustainability report. Should a sustainability report look backwards or should it look to the future as seen through the eyes of management? I encourage ERM’s board and senior leadership to address the two following questions in the ERM Sustainability Report 2022. What is ERM’s strategy to be viable in the future? How does execution of the company’s strategy balance investor and partner demands for short-term competitiveness and profitability with the imperative for the long-term viability of the company and its most critical stakeholders?”
Terry Nelidov
Managing Director, Erb Institute, University of Michigan
"KKR’s investment provides a huge opportunity for ERM to scale its reach and deepen its impact – not only through its own operations, but more importantly through the advice and council it provides to clients and business partners. And, with great opportunity comes great responsibility! As ERM scales up, one challenge it may face is to keep sustainability at the core of its mission and business model, and to continue on the cutting edge of research, business strategy, and social and environmental impact that matters."
John Schaetzl
Advisory Council Member, Seamans New Era Technology Fund
ERM's report documents the company’s efforts to address the sustainability agenda both in its own operations and, perhaps more importantly, through its client work. The latter, no doubt, generating a more material positive impact.
As the agenda grows more critical, ERM continues to build its thought leadership via its internal network, its Foundation and its collaborations, including via the SustainAbility Institute, providing latest thinking to far broader audiences.
Alison Stowell
Senior Lecturer, Lancaster University
"What stood out was ERM’s recognition of the need to improve diversity, equality and inclusion practices. I encourage ERM to focus on implementation and hold senior management accountable for progress."
Data verification
For ERM energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, our internal assurance process focuses on the quality of our reported data. ERM greenhouse gas reporting experts conducted internal assurance of our FY21 data for these metrics, following the same approach used when working for clients to confirm the completeness and accuracy of data.