Why UK Organisations Need a Single Source of Truth for ESG Data
By Sasha Maybury
The collection and reporting of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) data has become a core requirement for board members, to ensure businesses maintain regulatory compliance and contribute to satisfying investor scrutiny. However many organisations still manage ESG data in a fragmented way with the use of multiple spreadsheets and systems, which can create a critical risk. ESG reporting becomes trusted when the data is trusted and it is imperative for organisations to establish a single source of truth for ESG data. Having a central, governed platform that enables accurate reporting, strategic insight, and confident decision-making at your fingertips can be an untapped gold mine.
What many organisations have in play includes utility systems, carbon accounting tools, supply chain reporting, multiple data sets for HR and DEI and financial systems, which all report differently and measure different KPIs. This can result in a disconnected ESG landscape, which leads to inconsistent reporting, limited auditability, manual input, slow decision-making and increased compliance risk (especially under CSRD).
IBM Envizi delivers ESG data that is collected consistently, standardised and validated, traceable and auditable, accessible across teams and ready for regulatory reporting.
It integrates multiple ESG data sources into one platform, including carbon and emissions data (Scope 1, 2 and 3), energy and utilities data, supply chain metrics, social and governance indicators and financial and operational data. With a single source of truth, reporting becomes streamlined, reducing the time and cost associated with regulatory reporting cycles. Most importantly, Envizi enables leadership teams to identify ESG performance drivers, prioritise interventions, and align sustainability with commercial outcomes.
One example of where Envizi has transformed how ESG data is consistently measured is Celestica. Operating in over 50 sites across 15 countries, Celestica often experienced errors in manual data entry, inconsistent benchmarks, and slow decision-making. The business’s ambition was to reduce emissions, automate complex calculations and enable the reporting of finance-grade, auditable data. By centralising sustainability data with Envizi, Celestica achieved those ambitions. They set meaningful targets, like cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2025.
At Aramar, we work with organisations to design, implement, and optimise ESG data strategies using platforms such as Envizi. Our role is to ensure ESG data is not just collected, but is fit for purpose, future-proofed, and aligned to business objectives.
If your organisation is looking to move away from fragmented ESG reporting and towards a true single source of truth, we’d be happy to discuss how this could work in practice.