Compare Your Footprint — Carbon Intelligence Platform

Accountants are essential to driving Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives. Their expertise is critical for accurate measurement, compliance and long-term resilience — for their clients and for their own firms. At Accountex London, Compare Your Footprint partnered with The Disruption House to put that message front and centre. Here's what practitioners and experts had to say.

Why the ESG agenda matters for accountancy

Interest in sustainability in the sector is growing, driven by education and client demand. Panellists agreed: firms should adopt ESG principles themselves before advising clients. As Rupert Bull (CEO, The Disruption House) put it: if we're going to solve the world's problems, we need to start at home.

Hannah Keartland (Keartland & Co, ICAEW Sustainability Committee) highlighted that the main internal driver is often people — attracting and retaining talent by creating a meaningful, responsible workplace. Rakesh Vaitha (Haysmacintyre) stressed the need to understand stakeholder expectations, internal and external. Sam Baldwin (Ecovis Wingrave Yeats) emphasised getting clarity on your firm's current ESG position and aligning strategy with employee values so you can lead by example with clients.

What's driving firms to adopt ESG

Motivations vary by sector and size: compliance and market access, talent, resilience and access to green finance. For many, sustainability is a pragmatic step to stay competitive and meet regulatory and customer expectations. Hannah noted that sustainable practices support long-term resilience and can unlock financial benefits such as lower rates on sustainability-linked loans. Rakesh pointed to ESG-related risks increasingly sitting in risk registers and the need to report on social and environmental impact. Sam highlighted compliance as a primary driver — especially for SMEs facing varied and international rules, such as the German Supply Chain Act — and the importance of having ESG data ready for client and supplier requests.

Considering nature as a stakeholder

Hannah referenced the Wedding Cake Model: a stable environment supports a stable society, which supports a stable economy — so the environment belongs in strategy. Rupert noted that around 70% of the world's emissions come from SMEs; linking finance to sustainability (e.g. sustainability-linked loans) can incentivise action, though such tools are still underused.

What's next: regulation and transition planning

Panellists expect more regulatory clarity in the next 12–24 months and a shift from retrospective reporting to proactive transition planning — with businesses outlining future actions and reporting progress. Hannah highlighted the move from reporting the past to planning the transition. Rupert pointed to stricter anti-greenwashing rules (e.g. the EU Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition), which will require substantiated claims and put accountants at the centre of guiding clients. Sam stressed that SMEs must prepare now; global alignment (e.g. ISSB) will help.

The panel

Oliver Harrison (Sales & Partnerships Director, Compare Your Footprint) led the discussion. Panellists were Rupert Bull (The Disruption House), Hannah Keartland (Keartland & Co, ICAEW), Rakesh Vaitha (Haysmacintyre LLP) and Sam Baldwin (Ecovis Wingrave Yeats).

As ESG becomes a cornerstone of business strategy, accountants are well placed to lead. Compare Your Footprint and The Disruption House offer a fast, affordable self-service tool to help you and your clients evaluate ESG performance and carbon emissions — backed by a robust carbon accounting engine. Get in touch to see how we can support you and your clients.