Talking ESG: Using impact accounting to drive decision-making

PwC's accounting podcast

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Impact accounting is the process of attributing monetary value to disparate pools of datapoints across sustainability topics with the intent of creating comparability to drive investment decisions. This week, host Heather Horn is joined by a special guest from the International Foundations of Valuing Impacts (IFVI), CEO and President, Rob Zochowski, to discuss the relatively new concept of impact accounting and how it can complement existing sustainability reporting for business decision-making.
In this episode, they discuss:

• 3:24 – Background on impact accounting and IFVI
• 8:10 – The concept of impact valuation and its role in assigning monetary value to sustainability metrics
• 15:18– Getting global feedback on impact accounting
• 24:12– How impact accounting both measures and values corporate impacts to drive better decision-making
• 29:48 – Leveraging impact accounting for both reporting and decision-making
• 38:02 – Challenges in assigning monetary value to diverse impacts

For more information on impacting accounting, see PwC’s Impact management for sustainable business strategy. Further, as referenced in the episode, more information on European Union regulations can be found in PwC’s publication, European Union regulations beyond CSRD.
And visit IFVI’s website on Tuesday, October 15 for the release of its impact accounting methodologies.
T. Robert Zochowski is the President and CEO of IFVI since its founding. Formerly, he was the Program Director Impact Investing and Sustainability Special Projects including the Impact Weighted Accounts Project. Rob was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs. Rob received his MBA from Columbia Business School in the Executive Program where he concentrated on Social Enterprise and Impact Investing, graduating Dean’s Honors with Distinction. He was featured in Poets and Quants annual 100 Best & Brightest Executive MBAs list and received the Carson Family Changemaker Award.
Heather Horn is the PwC National Office Sustainability and Thought Leader, responsible for developing our communications strategy and conveying firm positions on accounting, financial reporting, and sustainability matters. In addition, she is part of PwC’s global sustainability leadership team, developing interpretive guidance and consulting with companies as they transition from voluntary to mandatory sustainability reporting. She is also the engaging host of PwC’s accounting and reporting weekly podcast and quarterly webcast series.
Transcripts available upon request for individuals who may need a disability-related accommodation. Please send requests to [e-mail].

Chapters

1. Talking ESG: Using impact accounting to drive decision-making (00:00:00)

2. Background on impact accounting and IFVI (00:03:24)

3. The concept of impact valuation and its role in assigning monetary value to sustainability metrics (00:08:10)

4. Getting global feedback on impact accounting (00:15:18)

5. How impact accounting both measures and values corporate impacts to drive better decision-making (00:24:12)

6. Leveraging impact accounting for both reporting and decision-making (00:29:48)

7. Challenges in assigning monetary value to diverse impacts (00:38:02)