Why Climate Risk Should Be on Your Compliance Radar

Written By Spiros Dassakis

Climate change is no longer just an environmental concern. For businesses across all industries, from retail and construction to tech, logistics, professional services and everything in between, climate-related risks now pose legal, operational, and reputational challenges. As regulators, insurers, financiers and customers shift expectations, even small and medium-sized businesses must consider how climate risks affect their compliance, governance, and long-term planning.

1. Climate Risk Affects Every Business

It’s not just large corporations being targeted. From supply chain disruption to energy cost volatility, weather-related events and insurance limitations, climate risk increasingly affects day-to-day business continuity and strategic decision-making.

2. Regulators and Insurers Are Paying Attention

Australian and New Zealand regulators are embedding climate risk into corporate governance guidance. Insurers and financiers are now assessing climate-related vulnerability before issuing policies or loans, meaning you may face higher premiums, exclusions, or hurdles unless your risk exposure is understood and mitigated.

3. Your Governance and Compliance Systems Might Be Outdated

Most compliance frameworks were built before climate became a measurable risk factor. Now, businesses must consider:

  • Whether their risk registers include environmental disruptions

  • If business continuity plans account for extreme weather

  • How procurement policies reflect sustainability or ESG expectations

  • If boards and executives are meeting their duty of care regarding long-term risks

4. This Is a Strategic Opportunity, Not Just an Obligation

Taking action doesn’t just help manage risk, it can improve stakeholder trust, access to capital, and alignment with evolving customer values. It’s also an opportunity to review your operations and uncover efficiencies, especially in energy use, waste management, and resource planning.

5. What Are You Waiting For?

Regardless of size or sector, every business is now exposed to climate-related risks, either directly or through the expectations of the markets they serve. Smart businesses are getting ahead, not waiting to react. If you're not sure where to start, speak to a professional.

Spiros Dassakis
Who We Are

Experience that brings context, judgement and perspective

NextGen Experts is an independent specialist consultancy providing technical, commercial, regulatory and dispute-related support across the swimming pool and spa industry and related sectors.

Our work draws on more than two decades of industry experience spanning construction, servicing, standards, regulation, education, business operations, governance and dispute resolution.

That breadth matters. Many issues cannot be understood by looking at a contract, standard or technical requirement in isolation. They need to be considered in the context of how the industry operates, how work is delivered, what the regulatory framework requires and what is reasonable in practice.

NextGen Experts brings that broader perspective to every engagement.

What We Bring

Industry Experience: Practical experience across pool and spa construction, servicing, maintenance, products, suppliers, contractors, consumers and industry organisations.

Technical & Regulatory Knowledge: A detailed understanding of standards, compliance requirements, regulation and industry practice, together with experience interpreting how those requirements apply in real-world situations.

Executive & Commercial Experience: Senior executive experience across industry operations, governance, membership organisations, commercial strategy, training, stakeholder engagement and organisational development.

Standards & Industry Representation: Longstanding participation in Australian and Australian/New Zealand Standards

development, including committee leadership, technical contribution and industry representation across a broad range of pool, spa and related standards.

Expert Reports & Dispute Support: Independent technical assessment, expert reports, review of competing technical opinions and dispute support for lawyers, insurers, builders, suppliers and consumers where swimming pool and spa issues need to be properly investigated, understood and clearly explained.

About Spiros Dassakis

NextGen Experts is led by Spiros Dassakis, who has worked across the swimming pool and spa industry for more than 20 years.

His experience includes senior executive roles with the Swimming Pool & Spa Association, extensive involvement in Australian Standards development, industry representation, regulatory engagement, education and training, business advisory work and dispute-related matters.

Spiros has contributed to more than 30 Australian and Australian/New Zealand Standards and has participated in standards development since 2008. His contribution to Standards Australia was recognised for 20 years of service and participation.

He also established IRLearning, a registered training organisation developed to support industry education, skills development and nationally recognised training.

Through his executive and industry roles, Spiros has worked with builders, contractors, suppliers, manufacturers, regulators, government agencies, industry associations, lawyers, insurers and consumers.

That experience now underpins the work of NextGen Experts.

Practical Experience Beyond the Textbook

NextGen Experts is not limited to providing a technical interpretation of an issue.

Our role is often to bring together the contract, technical requirements, standards, regulation, industry practice, available evidence and practical circumstances to help clients understand the issue and determine an appropriate way forward.

Whether the matter involves construction, compliance, a product, a dispute, industry policy, standards development, training or business operations, the focus remains the same:

Understand the issue. Establish the position. Provide practical direction.

https://www.nextgenexperts.com.au
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