Talking ESG: Minding the sustainability expectations gap

#PwC Unveils #SustainabilityReporting Gaps Insights Key Takeaways:

Preparers undervalue their influential role in shaping sustainability reporting and assurance.
A significant gap exists between what current sustainability reports offer and investor expectations.
Global unified standards for sustainability reporting and assurance are crucial for consistent, reliable information.

Further Insights

Expectation Gaps: Emerging gaps in sustainability reporting include a need for climate risk information in financial statements and for future-focused, standardized sustainability reporting.
Global Regulatory Landscape: Discusses the need for alignment in global sustainability reporting regulations to mitigate confusion and duplication across different jurisdictions.
Assurance Levels: Highlights the confusion and misalignment between limited and reasonable assurance levels in sustainability reporting, emphasizing the need for greater clarity and standardization.
Investor Expectations: Investors are increasingly demanding trustworthy, assured sustainability reports to make informed decisions, highlighting an urgent need for improvements in report reliability.
Ethical Standards: Underlines the importance of applying ethical standards to sustainability report preparers, akin to those binding financial statement accountants, to ensure integrity and trustworthiness.
Future Orientations: There's a critical need for sustainability reports to evolve in a way that addresses both current and future risks and opportunities, with a particular focus on climate impacts.

Closing Thoughts: As we navigate the evolving landscape of ESG reporting, the role of preparers and the need for global standards emerge as pivotal. How can businesses proactively contribute to shaping a more transparent, reliable sustainability reporting ecosystem?

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