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The primary purpose of this paper is to present an actual case of a Peruvian SME which applied IFRS accounting standards – specifically, IAS 41 for consumable biological assets – to reflect its financial situation more accurately as an alternative to legal and tax regulations applying historical cost, which Peruvian SMEs more commonly use for the preparation of financial statements. Primary data were gathered through interviews and observation at the SME studied. This forestry-industry SME in question tried unsuccessfully to get financing from banks, even presenting complementary information regarding the calculation of biological asset values according to IAS 41. Failing this, it turned to seeking funding from private long-term investors, eventually succeding in obtaining long-term financing from a new strategic investor. The significance of this paper is that it presents evidence of the advantages for companies (specifically agriculture-related companies) that comply with IFRS in a country where historical cost-based tax rules are traditionally applied for accounting purposes. Other SMEs can similarly improve the likelihood of obtaining new capital from potential investors by complementing the information provided in financial statements with detailed data regarding fair value calculation of biological assets.

This paper proposes an environmental accounting system in Peru that will improve the sustainability reporting of Peruvian corporations and have a positive impact on all the stakeholders (communities, stockholders, government, NGOs, etc.). This new environmental accounting system will allow companies to properly quantify and report environmental issues and have a more integral assessment and analysis of all the variables which affect their triple bottom line. Moreover, environmental issues in Peru will be partially solved when companies adhere to accurate measurement rules, timely submission of data, and fulfillment of government regulations. The principle behind the proposal is that accurate measurement, calculation and reporting on pollution levels will improve the ways companies address environmental and social issues, as well as enhance their financial results. This paper focuses on companies of the mining, gas and oil sectors, since they are arguably some of the main contributors to Peru’s GDP, as well as some of the nation’s largest polluters.