May Newsletter 2026
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
In this month's newsletter, May 2026
Monthly webinar: 27 May, 12:15 – 13:15 on Sustainability and financial connectivity: Bringing it to operational life within an organization. Register here.
Biodiversity Net Gain amendments come into force at the end of the month
New United Nations publication on Beyond GDP
Sustainability and financial connectivity:
Bringing it to operational life within an organization
with David Wray, DW Group and Sustainability Group ICFOA
We welcome you to join us for our May webinar. You can register here.
If it is widely known, for instance, that the planet is heating up, nature is under stress and forced labour remains an issue within supply chains, why aren’t things changing?
The single biggest lever remains underutilized: businesses. The ecosystem within which we operate includes policy makers, standard setters, regulators, non-government organizations, communities and so on. Each actor can evoke change, however that change tends to be slower than we’d like it to be. A lever for more immediate and decisive change comes from the businesses themselves – their translation of event to financial impact drives decision-making.
This webinar will show you how to create a more meaningful connection between sustainability topics and financial management. David will cover practical examples and real-world challenges to draw lessons on how to influence organizational decision-making through more impactful communication. The aim is to break the cycle we’re in to accelerate achievement of a healthy biodiverse planet that supports business, people and nature.
David held finance executive roles in the technology industry for over 25 years. He is a Chartered Accountant (CPA and ACA), a Board member for the International Ethics Standards Board (IESBA), and the International CFO Alliance. He is also an advisor and committee member for several organizations focusing on data management, technology, ethics and sustainability. His best-selling book is called The Power of Potential: A Straightforward Method for Mastering Skills from Personal to Professional.
Amendments to the Biodiversity Gain Site Register Regulations come into force at the end of the month
The Biodiversity Gain Site Register (Amendment) Regulations will come into force on 29 May 2026. The amendments extend the reach of the biodiversity gain site register to include developments granted consent under the Planning Act 2008, which governs Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). Key changes include a formal statutory definition of ‘biodiversity gain site’ and eligibility of NSIP land to be registered. Existing registered biodiversity gain sites can also allocate units to NSIP developers. These amendments have the potential to expand the pool of eligible buyers of habitat enhancement units. A summary of the amendments can be found here.
New UN publication on Beyond GDP
The traditional measure of economic output, GDP, fails to account for depletion of natural capital, distribution of wealth, and broader dimensions of human wellbeing, which ultimately limits its use for guiding sustainable development policy. Earlier this month, the United Nations’ Independent High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP published its report, Counting What Counts: A Compass of Progress for People and Planet. The report responds to a request from UN Member States for a set of universally applicable indicators of sustainable development that complement and go beyond GDP. The Group proposes a dashboard of 31 indicators structured around four components: foundational principles, current wellbeing, equity and inclusion, and sustainability and resilience. This framework explicitly incorporates natural capital and environmental quality as core dimensions, and proposes the biodiversity intactness index as a foundational indicator. You can find an executive summary here and the full report here.
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