Leading accountancy body CPA Ireland has launched an online tool to help accountants and businesses become more sustainable.

The CPA Sustainability Hub has online training resources, webinars and case studies that the organisation believes will play a vital role in developing sustainability strategies in businesses of all sizes.

Eamonn Siggins, CEO of the CPA, said the hub would "provide knowledge across all aspects of sustainability that are relevant to accountants and to the businesses they advise.

"The Hub contains a range of training materials and case studies that will equip accountants with crucial skills such as carbon footprinting, sustainable finance and understanding ESG."

Siggins highlighted climate and weather catastrophes, environmental disasters, legislation and regulation as having made sustainability "an action item at the heart of every business."

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"It is now also being demanded by consumers and investors alike. The accountancy profession needs to be able to embed sustainability at the heart of everything it does," he added.

"The entire profession needs to prepare for the realities of sustainability reporting which will be an essential duty in the years ahead. While EU directives are currently focused on larger companies it will not stay that way.

"Many SMEs are now being asked to verify their sustainability credentials within the supply chain of larger companies and when tendering for public contracts. Our hub will ensure that accountants can engage in reporting in a meaningful way.”

CPA Ireland is also seeking to raise awareness of greenwashing, which Siggins said is not fully understood in Ireland.

Some 38% of finance and compliance leaders have seen evidence of greenwashing in Irish businesses, according to a recent CPA Ireland, Compliance Institute and Sia Partners survey.

Photo: (l-r) Trish O'Neill and Eamon Siggins.