San Francisco, Nov. 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) today announced that French, German, Japanese, and Spanish translations are now available for the SASB Standards Application Guidance and Implementation Primer. French, German, Japanese, and Spanish translations of SASB’s 77 industry Standards are expected to be published in early 2021, with translations into additional languages also planned for next year.
“Amidst growing international use of SASB Standards, it is a high priority for us to deliver translated standards and implementation guidance to the markets as soon as possible,” says SASB CEO Janine Guillot. “We aim to facilitate the disclosure of the relevant and reliable ESG information that global investors want and global markets need.”
Of the 454 companies who have reported SASB metrics year to date as of October 31, 2020, 42 percent are domiciled outside of the U.S. Corporate use of SASB Standards is growing rapidly: The number of corporate reporters YTD is a 288 percent increase from 2019 reporters.
“We are seeing increasing interest in understanding SASB Standards from our listed companies,” says Natsuho Torii, Deputy Secretary General, Sustainability Committee at JAPAN EXCHANGE GROUP (JPX). “SASB’s translations of its implementation guidance will facilitate the use of SASB Standards by our listed companies, who are eager to meet growing investor demand for financially material ESG data.”
Increasing corporate use of SASB Standards is propelled by increasing demand from global investors.181 institutional investors—representing $59T AUM and 21 countries—support SASB and/or use SASB Standards to inform their investment decision-making.
“As a global investor, we are pleased to see SASB translate its implementation guidance, with standards translations on the way, and hope these translations facilitate increasing use of SASB Standards by companies around the world,” says Dr. Steffen Hörter, Global Head of ESG Integration & Solutions at Allianz Global Investors and a member of the SASB Investor Advisory Group. “Corporates that manage and disclose financially material ESG factors are highly attractive for investors.”
The Standards Application Guidance is a short technical document that provides guidance on standards conformance, reporting boundaries, reporting format, internal controls, and assurance. The Implementation Primer is a lengthier resource to assist companies in using SASB Standards. It includes guidance on embedding key topics and metrics into core management and reporting functions, deciding where to disclose, determining how to use SASB Standards alongside other standards and frameworks, and assessing materiality and readiness to report. Access the translated Standards Application Guidance in German, French, Japanese, and Spanish, and access the Implementation Primer in German, French, Japanese, and Spanish.
About SASB
SASB connects businesses and investors on the financial impacts of sustainability. SASB Standards enable businesses around the world to identify, manage, and communicate financially material sustainability information to investors. SASB Standards are industry-specific and are designed to be decision-useful for investors and cost-effective for companies. They are developed using a process that is evidence based and market informed. To download any of the 77 industry-specific Standards, or learn more about SASB, please visit SASB.org.