The second module in the Sustainability and ESG Certificate will include in-depth knowledge and resources in sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues that are important for CPAs and other business professionals. It will also provide materiality, financial, economic and data perspectives. The learner will walk away upskilled in new and trending areas where CPAs are needed to create value for their organizations.

This course is the second part of a 4-module certificate program from CPA Canada. The first module in the program can be found here: Introduction to Sustainability - A Multi-Year Retrospective.

For those wishing to take modules 3 and 4, registration must be done directly with CPA Canada here.

The competency of Sustainability is one of the largest disruptions in the profession in over 100 years and this certificate will position you to add value to your organization’s future.

The certificate and its courses are intended toward upskilling two distinct groups of professionals:

CPAs that have at least two to 10+ years of designated experience and MBA / business professionals that work in:

• the private sector (e.g., publicly listed companies, private companies)
• public accounting firms
• management / consulting firms

Within those groups, we expect the following roles to align with this course and its objectives:

• new CPA and business roles in sustainability and climate change
• reporting Lead / Manager roles in public reporting (e.g., MD&A, AIF (annual information form), analyst reports / presentations, etc.)
• financial statement preparers
• senior / executive leaderships roles

Sustainability and ESG considerations are fundamentally changing how organizations plan and execute their strategy and operate and in doing so, are impacting the entire career spectrum. This product is designed with inclusion in mind; there is something for everyone.

• explain key environmental, social, economic and governance issues
• communicate why materiality is important and how to perform a materiality assessment
• assess how stakeholders impact materiality, collect information from stakeholders, and prioritize material topics
• describe how key environmental, social, economic and governance issues impact organizations
• describe the different frameworks that organizations can use to manage environmental, social, economic and governance issues
• explain how sustainability impacts financial decisions
• describe how to monetize the benefits of sustainability and create value for stakeholders

• refresh on financial materiality vs. double materiality
• materiality assessment practice
• greenhouse gas emissions
• climate change, biodiversity
• circular economy
• diversity, equity, inclusion
• rights of Indigenous Peoples / Truth and Reconciliation
• labour management
• greenwashing and other washings
• board oversight related to ESG
• power of partnerships
• direct and indirect economic impacts
• sustainable procurement
• transforming ESG non-financial performance into financial value
• ESG data

Course Content Created: April 2023

Please note that not all on-demand courses include downloadable materials such as course notes or slides.

How to get started

Upon completion of purchase, go to mylms.bccpa.ca and log in using your CPABC Online Services credentials. Click “Go to your Courses and Materials” to go to your Learning Center, then find and click on your course title.