ESG Sustainability Reporting Standards

ESG sustainability reporting standards are discussed as a disclosure exercise. For most organisations the harder part arrives earlier, as a data problem.

Climate-related disclosure requires information from across the value chain, which means the reporting entity has to ask its suppliers for figures. Energy use, transport, waste, and sometimes their suppliers’ numbers in turn.

Those requests travel down to organisations with no reporting obligation of their own, arrive with a deadline, and ask for data nobody has been collecting.

The practical response for a supplier is to start recording the basics now rather than assembling a year of history under pressure later. Energy bills, fuel and freight, and waste volumes are usually enough to answer a first request.

For the reporting entity, ask early and accept that the first year of supplier data will be incomplete.

ASIC administers the requirements. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s GRC system and records management software.