Decarbonisation

Nowadays, it's almost impossible to open a newspaper without encountering an article on 'sustainability'. Whether it's in the context of the financial services industry, the broader economy, or society as a whole, sustainability has become a critical issue. In recent years, it has gained significant traction and is now recognised as a necessity rather than just a trend.

Over the past decade, the focus on environmental issues has grown exponentially, resulting in various global commitments and initiatives aimed at transforming current institutional, economic, and financial models.

This training is centered on decarbonisation, a critical response to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and align business practices with sustainability goals. Participants will gain insights into the drivers behind decarbonisation, global commitments like the Paris Agreement, and how businesses across sectors can play a pivotal role in reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This course is designed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to transform their operations in a low-carbon direction.

By the end of this training, participants will:

• understand the importance of decarbonisation in addressing climate change and fulfilling global climate commitments;
• learn about various strategies and pathways that can be used to achieve decarbonisation across different sectors;
• develop an understanding of regulatory and policy frameworks related to decarbonisation;
• explore practical steps that organisations can take to decarbonise their operations and supply chains;
• gain insights into measuring and reporting progress towards decarbonisation targets.

• Introduction to decarbonisation
  • Overview of global climate commitments (e.g. Paris Agreement).
  • Importance of decarbonisation in achieving sustainability targets.
• Drivers and benefits of decarbonisation
  • Economic, regulatory, and reputational factors driving decarbonisation.
  • Benefits of reducing carbon emissions, including cost savings and risk mitigation.
• Key strategies for decarbonisation
  • Sector-specific decarbonisation pathways.
  • Integration of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and innovation.
  • Carbon pricing and offsetting strategies.
• Practical steps to decarbonisation
  • Step-by-step guidance for identifying and reducing GHG emissions.
  • Case studies of successful decarbonisation efforts in different industries.
  • Tools for assessing carbon footprints and establishing reduction targets.
• Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV)
  • Best practices in tracking progress towards decarbonisation goals.
  • Reporting in line with international standards (e.g. GHG Protocol, CDP).

This training is coordinated by Michael Horvath and Julien Jacqué, Partners at PwC Luxembourg.

Michael has acquired a strong financial and regulatory audit as well as advisory background and significant experience leading projects in the asset management sphere.

In the recent past, Michael has been particularly involved in various regulatory projects related to the implementation of the EU regulatory framework for sustainable finance (i.e. SFDR, taxonomy regulation, CSRD) at entity and product level. Michael is involved in various other regulatory projects for clients, from DORA, AML/CFT regulation over CSSF circular 18/698 to MICA.

Julien is the EMEA Sustainability in Finance Transformation Leader at PwC and is actively engaged in PwC EMEA’s CSRD Centre of Excellence. With over 11 years of consulting experience, he currently oversees PwC LU’s Sustainability Reporting and Transformation services.

Julien holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Corporate Finance and has provided extensive support to clients in the implementation of data and technology solutions. Over the past few years, he has assisted both financial and corporate clients in their sustainability journey, spanning strategy, transformation, and reporting. Julien possesses both theoretical knowledge and practical expertise in ESG regulations such as CSRD, EU Taxonomy, EU ETS, and CBAM.