ESG: The future of reporting

In our continued exploration of better practice in Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) reporting, our focus turns to the agricultural sector. 

We hope this case study provides guidance and insight to support you on your own ESG journey.

There are significant benefits to be gained by reporting on ESG factors, however, it’s important to appreciate that these benefits are only realised when reporting is undertaken properly and accurately. Stakeholders may question management on disclosures made, so it is vital that companies fully understand and provide supportable evidence for the figures and statements provided in annual disclosure statements. This will ensure you are not exposed to potential claims for misrepresentation.

Please contact your local PKF office for further insights.

Fieldays’ approach to ESG

Fieldays is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event and the ultimate launch platform for cuttingedge technology and innovation. An iconic event owned and operated by the NZ National Fieldays Society Inc. Fieldays is held at Mystery Creek near Hamilton in June hosting over 1,000 exhibitors and around 130,000 visitors over the 4-days each year. 

This year Fieldays has introduced the Fieldays Sustainability Hub which aims to provide visitors with easy access to accurate information and resources about sustainability and the Environment.

New Zealand National Fieldays Society recognises the importance of sustainability as a concern amongst event attendees and stakeholders and as such, for the past ten years
has incorporated sustainable event management into their planning and execution, showing their commitment to environmentally responsible business. 

This commitment considers the four governing principles of Sustainable Development, namely:

• Inclusivity
• Integrity
• Stewardship
• Transparency.

For each principle, there is a practice in place.

The Society has partnered with Instep, which has supported the design and implementation of the Fieldays sustainability programme and reporting.

The Instep Sustainable Event programme (ISEP) follows international standard ISO 20121 which includes monitoring of sustainability metrics and calculation of greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions, or a carbon footprint as it is commonly referred to. Fieldays is currently an ISEP certified Sustainable Event.

Benchmarking between past Fieldays events is now a well-established way to gauge each event’s progress against New Zealand National Fieldays Society’s best practices for sustainability.

Environmental impact areas monitored

Various Environmental Impact Areas (EIAs) were identified at the Fieldays event in order to set objectives and monitor progress. Data was then gathered on-site by independent staff utilising meter readings, calculations and surveying. This was followed by post-event data collection. 

The Environmental Impacts of Fieldays were separated into the following areas:

All information is used to calculate a carbon footprint for the event, assess whether objectives have been achieved, and recommend initiatives for environmental improvement in future.

We have to commend New Zealand National Fieldays Society as a leader in sustainable event management.