ESG Consulting
ESG Consulting Services
Organisations are facing tighter regulations, increased investor scrutiny, and heightened expectation from consumers, making it more important than ever to embed ESG considerations into the core of a business.
The UK Companies Act, FRC guidelines, and modern slavery reporting mandates demand more from organisations than strategy and reporting – they require evidence, verification, and governance systems that work in practice.
Not only this, organisations operating in complex and high-risk environments require credible ESG assurance to strengthen compliance with evolving regulatory and assurance expectations, give investors and donors greater confidence that their commitments are embedded and capable of delivering measurable value, and protect people, operations, and long-term reputation.
If you need help assessing your current ESG performance, or need assistance developing an ESG strategy, please book a free consultation or simply call us on 020 7494 5670.
TALK TO OUR ESG EXPERTS
ESG Services: Equatorial Strategies Group’s Collaboration with Verita
Equatorial Strategies Group and Verita work collaboratively to deliver integrated ESG services that combine strategic advisory, investigative rigour, and independent verification.
Verita’s established UK-based expertise in due diligence, corporate investigations, and management consulting enables us to support organisations looking to achieve regulatory compliance, improve levels of service, create cost efficiencies and measure their impact on society.
Together with Equatorial’s deep experience in high-risk emerging markets and conflict-affected environments, we help organisations strengthen compliance with evolving regulatory and assurance expectations. We give investors and donors greater confidence that Environmental, Social, and Governance commitments are embedded, credible, and capable of delivering measurable value.
Together this enables ESG services that can withstand regulatory, donor, and investor scrutiny.
Integrated ESG Advisory, Capacity, and Performance Services
ESG Capacity Assessments
Equatorial Strategies Group and Verita jointly deliver ESG Capacity Assessments that evaluate how effectively an organisation embeds Environmental, Social, and Governance responsibilities into leadership oversight, policy architecture, operational practice, and data discipline. These assessments provide an evidence-based view of governance and control maturity across safeguarding, labour standards, supply-chain oversight, compliance, risk management, and disclosure integrity.
Capacity assessments determine whether ESG frameworks are credible, consistently applied, and aligned with regulatory requirements, domestic governance codes, donor safeguarding expectations, OECD Due Diligence Guidance, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
ESG Performance Assessments
Building on capacity findings, ESG Performance Assessments measure how well ESG commitments translate into real-world outcomes. These assessments evaluate whether policies, controls, and oversight mechanisms produce consistent results that protect people, strengthen organisational resilience, and safeguard long-term value.
By combining Equatorial’s field-level insight and contextual intelligence with Verita’s ESG benchmarking, analysis, and reporting expertise, performance assessments identify gaps between stated commitments and operational reality – providing decision makers and investors with a clear picture of ESG effectiveness and risk exposure, satisfying UK investor scrutiny, shareholder expectations, and domestic reporting transparency.
Safeguarding, Working Conditions, and Supply-Chain Due Diligence
A core element of the Equatorial–Verita collaboration is safeguarding-centred ESG due diligence, with particular focus on working conditions, child protection, labour practices, and supply-chain integrity.
Our joint approach integrates:
- Safeguarding investigations and labour-practice verification
- Supply-chain and partner due diligence
- Tracing of labour, materials, funds, and decision-making pathways
- Assessment of grievance mechanisms, escalation pathways, and accountability
Our work in areas spanning management consultancy, due diligence and corporate investigations has provided us with a unique set of skills, enabling us to get to the bottom of complex issues, delivering evidence-based reports, all while balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.
Using evidence-based investigative methods – including document and data review, staff and stakeholder interviews, partner and supplier verification, and external intelligence – we identify risks such as modern slavery, child labour, exploitation, unsafe working environments, security-related harm, and governance failures that may be obscured by complex operating contexts or reliance on self-reported data.
This ensures UK Modern Slavery Act compliance, satisfies corporate transparency mandates, and achieves domestic supply-chain accountability standards.
Our approach enables donors and investors to assess both ESG capacity (whether appropriate safeguards and oversight exist) and ESG performance (whether those safeguards function effectively in practice), strengthening disclosure integrity and reducing legal, reputational, and fiduciary risk.
Case Example: Resolving Conflicts of Interest and Governance Breakdown
A public sector commissioning body faced complex governance challenges and allegations regarding potential conflicts of interest in service allocation and decision-making. Existing internal controls struggled to provide transparent oversight, raising concerns among stakeholders and regulators.
Verita was commissioned to conduct an independent investigation into the organisation’s governance structures, register of interests, and decision-making pathways. Using thorough document reviews and stakeholder interviews, the team mapped out where structural vulnerabilities allowed conflicts to go unmanaged.
We delivered an objective, evidence-based report complete with actionable recommendations, enabling leadership to overhaul their governance framework, restore public and regulatory trust, and establish robust controls to prevent future oversight failures.
Why Independent Investigations Are Essential to Credible ESG
Verita’s team of experts consists of specialist investigators with backgrounds in complex regulatory, safeguarding, and corporate inquiries, with extensive experience managing operational challenges.
By independently analysing complex, sensitive, or high-profile business issues affecting culture and governance structures, we are able to conduct robust investigations which get to the core of why things go wrong.
Our unique set of skills means that we can identify issues affecting ESG and recommend actions for improvement which organisations can trust.
ESG Investigations, Due Diligence, and Independent Assurance
Drawing on Verita’s background in corporate investigations, management consultancy, and UK regulatory compliance, alongside Equatorial’s expertise in governance investigations, safeguarding, and intelligence-led analysis, the collaboration delivers ESG investigations and due diligence that go beyond compliance checklists.
Findings are evidence-based, independently verifiable, and structured to support decision-making, investor assurance, regulatory review, and board-level accountability.
These services are particularly suited to:
- UK-operating companies facing complex domestic or international supply chains and partner-dependent operations
- Supply-chain viability assessments aligned with UK corporate transparency and modern slavery reporting mandates
- Situations involving alleged safeguarding failures, labour violations, or governance breakdowns that require independent, defensible scrutiny
- Pre-investment, pre-funding, or post-incident ESG reviews
NGO sector environmental and humanitarian programmes
Charitable sector donor-funded programmes
A Complementary, Independent Collaboration
Equatorial Strategies Group and Verita operate as independent but closely aligned partners, ensuring investigative integrity while combining complementary strengths.
This collaboration allows clients to benefit from strategic ESG advisory, field-level investigation, and independent UK-based assurance – without compromising objectivity or credibility.
How we can help
As ESG consultants, Verita and Equatorial Strategies Group support organisations by assessing current performance across the three ESG pillars.
Whether your organisation needs to align with environmental standards, tackle workplace inequality or ensure ethical and efficient supply chain management, we help focus your efforts on what matters most to your organisation.
We support businesses by establishing an ESG strategy with clear goals and targets which can be tracked so that progress can be effectively monitored and assurances provided to stakeholders that ESG factors are being properly considered.
Key features
By choosing us as your ESG consultant, you can expect the following:
- Assess current ESG performance
- Establish clear and measurable goals
- Create a detailed action plan
- Incorporate ESG into all business functions
- Track performance and monitor progress
Our work in areas spanning management consultancy, due diligence and corporate investigations has provided us with a unique set of skills, enabling us to get to the bottom of complex issues, delivering evidence-based reports, all while balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.
Why is ESG consulting important?
ESG plays a fundamental role in supporting decisions across investment, consumer and strategic decisions.
Working with an ESG consultant helps to not just identify risks, but highlight opportunities to improve operational efficiency and boost growth.
Our advisors help organisations develop a strategy which helps to mitigate risks, enhance reputation and drive innovation.
Integrated ESG Advisory, Legal, and Assurance Services
As ESG expectations move beyond disclosure towards demonstrable governance, accountability, and operational resilience, Verita and Equatorial Strategies Group provide a broader integrated service that supports organisations in embedding responsible business practices into strategy, governance, risk management, and day-to-day operations.
Their joint offering combines ESG advisory, assessment, due diligence, investigations, and assurance for organisations operating in complex, high-risk, or multi-jurisdictional environments.
This work is further strengthened by access to specialist ESG legal services through Equatorial’s affiliated London-based law firm, Meridian Legal Group, helping clients align ESG commitments with legal duties, governance structures, regulatory expectations, and investor scrutiny.
ESG materiality and double materiality
We help you decide which environmental, social and governance issues to prioritise based on their potential to significantly impact financial performance or stakeholders.
As well as looking “outside-in” at how ESG factors affect financial performance, we consider “inside-out” factors which affect how company operations impact people and the environment.
Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG)
The components of ESG cover the following business areas:
1) Environmental
Environmental impact encompasses a company’s efforts to minimise its negative effects on the planet. This could include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to renewable energy sources, efficiently using natural resources, minimising pollution, or preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity.
2) Social
Social impact refers to a company’s positive or negative influence on society, crucial for organisations to demonstrate their commitment to ethical business practices and build strong relationships with stakeholders. This covers areas such as human rights, labour practices, community engagement, diversity and inclusion and supply chain management.
3) Governance
Good governance provides a solid foundation for an organisation’s ESG efforts and helps to build trust with stakeholders. Examples include ethical leadership, accountability, risk management and transparency and disclosure of ESG information to stakeholders.
Engage With Us
Whether you are a donor, investor, board, or executive team seeking assurance over ESG risk, governance standards, safeguarding, working conditions, or supply-chain integrity, Verita and Equatorial Strategies Group offer a collaborative ESG capability designed for strict regulatory scrutiny, and operational complexity. and high-risk and complex environments.
We welcome confidential discussions to explore how our joint ESG services can support your governance, safeguarding, and due-diligence objectives – providing clarity, accountability, and confidence where it matters most.
For more information on our tailored ESG advisory, investigations, or due-diligence support, please contact Verita founder Ed Marsden via email at [email protected] or on 020 7494 5670
Discover Our ESG Insights
