Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD)

The due diligence process enables lenders, investors and developers to fully understand and manage the risks and opportunities associated with a project that seeks alignment with an industry standard, framework or regulation. Expert due diligence identifies all risks and opportunities to ensure there are no ‘surprises' later down the investment or development pathway. ​

Our experts undertake bespoke and stand-alone biodiversity due diligence, or as part of an environmental and social due diligence (ESDD). We have particular expertise in challenging projects in highly biodiverse areas or where there are threatened species. ​

During project implementation, we monitor and evaluate the project’s performance against the relevant standards and the commitments in the project documents (e.g. ESIA, BAP, Offset Management and Monitoring Plan, etc.). Our expert reputation and respected independence mean we can collaborate with developers and interested external stakeholders to ensure any issues in these plans can be identified and addressed quickly. ​

A comprehensive biodiversity due diligence will include a gap analysis, identification of red flag issues, and actions to address gaps and achieve alignment with the chosen standard, framework or regulation. This involves the permitting status of the project, adequacy of biodiversity information (e.g. ESIA and biodiversity studies/plans), relationship with stakeholders and reputational issues, and the capacity of the company to manage the biodiversity risks.​

We support compliance with leading lender standards such as IFC PS6 and EBRD ESR6, as well as frameworks like TNFD, SBTN, and the ICMM Mining Principles. We offer a tailored approach for each project, providing project-specific roadmaps and action plans to ensure rapid and effective progress towards the target standard, framework or regulation and the execution of your project; contact us to discuss your specific needs.