Briefings

The new International (ISO) Standard on Net Zero Transition Planning for Financial Institutions delivers a common global benchmark for financial institutions to develop strategies, policies and processes that unlock the capital needed to accelerate the transition across the economy. By engaging with the new Standard, NEDs and board members can help their organisations build future-fit, value-enhancing transition strategies.

Floods, fires, drought and extreme heat, physical climate risks are challenging companies across their global value chains. This board briefing supports better physical climate risk management for business continuity, resilience and access to capital.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) released an updated version of their Corporate Net Zero standard on 11th June 2026. David Kennedy, CEO of the SBTi, states: “We are at a critical moment for climate action: companies have told us that they need a partner that can help foster implementation, and that’s what...2.0 is designed to do.

Our UK policy briefing aims to highlight the latest developments in UK climate policy directly relevant to NEDs.

This briefing paper outlines 5 key considerations for NEDs to take into account to ensure that their organisations are poised to derive value from aligning to the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards.

In September 2025, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Oxford Sustainable Finance Group published a practical guide on transition plan dependencies for companies. It sets out seven practical steps to identify and address the factors outside a company’s control that might impact the delivery of their climate transition plans. This supplement, created in collaboration by WBCSD and Chapter Zero, complements this guidance with considerations and questions for non-executive directors (NEDs) as they work with fellow board members to set strategic ambition for transition plans and provide oversight for their operational delivery. To download the full resource, please fill in the form below.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) published updated guidance on 16 March 2026 on 'comply or explain' reporting to support investors, proxy advisors and other stakeholders to assess the value of a departure explanation and how this may evidence robust board governance and a 'beyond compliance' mindset.

This blog from the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative summarises the key findings of the UK Biodiversity Security Assessment, explains how they relate into nature‑related physical, transition, and systemic risks, and outlines what this means for directors’ duties of care and loyalty under UK law.

Climate change and nature loss are altering business landscapes across supply chains, infrastructure, consumer behaviour, and regulation. They require the attention of boards not because of external pressure alone, but because they shape long-term resilience, competitiveness and corporate value.