Advisory Services

We deliver strategic assessments that help companies identify impacts, risks, and opportunities; avoid, prevent, and mitigate harm to people and the environment; meet disclosure requirements; and build business resilience. From double materiality to climate and nature risk, to a full spectrum of human rights and responsible technology assessments, BSR’s tools are designed to classify impacts and determine the level and scale of due diligence required to address them effectively.

Case Study: Conducting a Double Materiality Assessment
Report: Human Rights Assessment of the Generative AI Value Chain and Responsible AI Practitioner Guides

We partner with boards and executive leaders to integrate sustainability into decision-making and oversight through robust governance structures, frameworks, and insights. Through issue briefings, strategic dialogues, and tailored advisory, we help leaders interpret trends, set outcome-driven objectives, anticipate and manage risk, and prioritize investments that create long-term value and real-world impact.

Case Study: Climate Scenarios with the National Association of Corporate Directors

BSR’s interactive workshops help companies identify and explore emerging issues, build internal alignment, and accelerate progress on corporate sustainability goals aligned with business priorities. From sensemaking exercises using futures workshops and scenario planning, to board briefings and strategy sessions, these customized opportunities create space for practical solutions and shared ownership.

Geopolitical and supply chain fragmentation, rapidly evolving technology, and intensifying climate disruption are among the accelerating shocks and transformations reshaping sustainable business. Mapping these dynamics and assessing organizational preparedness is an important dimension of business resilience. Through workshops, scenarios, and strategic foresight, we help companies to understand and anticipate emerging issues, risks, and opportunities, stress test sustainability strategies against multiple plausible futures, and articulate "north star" sustainability visions and innovation pathways which enable enterprise business priorities.

Explore: BSR’s Sustainable Futures Lab

From translating the findings and recommendations of a human rights assessment into actionable goals, to establishing targets and milestones for measuring the success of a sustainability strategy, we partner with companies to turn their commitments into practical operational practices. Through workshops, trainings with internal stakeholders and/or board members, governance structures, and actionable roadmaps, our hands-on approach is designed to build resilience and deliver impact in a rapidly changing world.

Case Study: Phoenix’s Human Rights Journey: Designing a Human Rights Roadmap

We help sustainability teams engage with and gather input from cross-functional leaders to identify sustainability risks and opportunities, and to determine where sustainability is a critical dependency or enabler of top enterprise goals. Through interviews, workshops, and data-driven insights, we support enterprise-wide alignment and enable more effective, business-led decision-making.

Through original research, we equip companies to anticipate, interpret, and respond to complex and emerging sustainability challenges. We also support corporate leaders to facilitate convening, both internally and across their value chains, to gather insights into specific challenges, establish leadership, explore opportunities for collaboration, and set industry standards.

Case Study: Developing Best Practices for Human Rights Due Diligence in Technology Sales Channels

From impact and materiality assessments to due diligence action plans and standards gap assessments (e.g., ESRS, ISSB), we provide insights which help companies to understand the implications of evolving sustainability regulations and strategically respond with approaches that meet the letter and spirit of the law. Through cross-functional capacity building, roadmaps and transition plans, internal policy design, and assessments, we position companies to leverage voluntary and mandatory regulatory requirements as catalysts for the integration of sustainability into business strategy to drive long-term value creation.

Case Study: Conducting an ESRS and IFRS Gap Assessment

We help companies align with global and local reporting standards, establish best practices, and prepare for the future of reporting through collaboration with peer companies. Through benchmarking, interviews and workshops, KPIs, and high-level roadmaps to guide implementation, our tailored services strengthen stakeholder trust and internal alignment, key drivers of effective reporting and organizational success.

Case Study: Building a Social Performance Framework Aligned with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)

We help companies strengthen operational and strategic resilience in the face of climate, environmental, technological, and social disruptions. From designing frameworks and roadmaps for integrating climate adaptation across business strategy and risk management, to building robust, credible transition plans that integrate climate, nature and human rights, we enable organizations to operationalize and embed resilience into core decision-making.

Case Study: Defining Ambition and a Pathway toward a Nature-Positive Future

We provide Chief Sustainability Officers, executives, boards and sustainability teams with proprietary insights and forward-looking intelligence to navigate complex, fast-evolving issues in a fragmented business environment. Through issue briefings, facilitated meetings, and workshops, we help companies interpret emerging trends, regulatory developments, and stakeholder expectations, enabling agile leadership and timely decision-making.

We help companies navigate risk and uncertainty across operations and value chains, build trusted relationships, and meet legal and regulatory requirements through stakeholder engagement. Aligned with recognized international frameworks, we design fit-for-purpose engagement strategies and tools that connect business priorities with societal needs, grounding decisions in the perspectives of those most affected. To build long-term capacity to support these efforts, we offer internal team trainings, peer networking, tools, and guidance on external stakeholder advisory councils.

Explore: Overview BSR’s 5-Step Approach to Stakeholder Engagement

Sustainability is central to a company’s strategy, risk management, innovation, and competitiveness. We partner with companies to design integrated sustainability strategies supported by goals, targets, and action plans and grounded in material issues and enterprise priorities. From setting the initial direction and positioning it to align with areas of strategic focus, to creating a roadmap for seamless implementation, we offer a full suite of customizable support to help companies achieve their goals.

Case Study: Updating Scotiabank’s Human Rights Strategy

We support boards and management executives to design sustainability governance structures, roles, and responsibilities, and put these systems into practice through integration and cross-functional coordination. By leveraging materiality assessments, identifying priority issues, and stress-testing approaches—including through external advisory councils—we enable leaders to prioritize investments that protect long-term business value and deliver real-world impact.

Learn More: Corporate Sustainability Governance Fitness Test: Three Actions for Leaders

We advise sustainability teams navigating complex internal and external demands. Acting as a strategic thought partner, expert reviewer, and facilitator, we provide technical guidance, peer learning opportunities, and capacity-building support to strengthen effectiveness and internal alignment around the value of sustainable business practices. Particularly for companies early in their ESG journey, we offer coaching—such as how to conduct a materiality assessment—along with tools and templates to build internal capability, establish shared priorities, and lay a strong foundation for sustained progress.

We offer tailored training and capacity-building support to enable corporate decision makers, including those responsible for risk, strategy, procurement, and supply chains, to assess emerging issues, key uncertainties, and their implications for business priorities. By connecting sustainable business insights to board agendas, strategy discussions, and risk/opportunity decisions, our approach enables corporate leaders to elevate sustainability as a lens for navigating volatility and trade-offs.

BSR helps companies build operational and supply chain resilience through tailored strategies to embed sustainability commitments across the value chain. Through supply chain impact assessments, supplier engagement, risk management approaches aligned with due diligence requirements and materiality, and emissions management and target-setting, we help companies build resilience and security in a volatile operating context.

Explore: BSR’s Value Chain Leadership Ladder