On 31st January 2022, the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) was consolidated into the IFRS Foundation to support the work of the newly established International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). While this site and its resources remain relevant for preparers looking to improve sustainability disclosure until such time as the ISSB issues its IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards on such topics, no further work or guidance will be produced or published by CDSB. For further information please visit the IFRS website.

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)

SASB’s sector-specific material sustainability KPIs complement the CDSB Framework’s principles on reporting environmental information in the mainstream corporate report.

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) is an independent non-profit, whose mission is to develop and disseminate sustainability accounting standards that help public corporations disclose material, decision-useful information to investors. That mission is accomplished through a rigorous process that includes evidence-based research and broad, balanced stakeholder participation. 

SASB developed sector-specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for sustainability, which complement the CDSB Framework’s principles on reporting environmental information in the mainstream corporate report.  

SASB provides a series of standards to reporting companies from all sectors, referencing the CDSB Framework for environmental information and natural capital reporting as further guidance for certain environmental metrics, as shown in the example below. 

SASB Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Accounting Metric NR0101-01 

GHG emission data shall be consolidated according to the approach with which the registrant consolidates its financial reporting data, which is generally aligned with: 

  • The approach detailed in Section 4.23 “Organizational boundary setting for GHG emissions reporting” of Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) Climate Change Reporting Framework (CCRF) 

Note: This approach is based on the requirements of the International Accounting Standards/International Financial Reporting Standards (IAS/IFRS) on consolidation and equity accounting. It is consistent with the way in which information relating to entities within a group, or interest in joint ventures/associates, would be included in consolidated financial statements. Climate Change Reporting Framework, CDSB. 

SASB contributes to CDSB’s work through its membership in the CDSB Technical Working Group. 

CDSB and SASB are mutually supportive of each other, and work together on various activities, exploiting the learning and complementarities between their standards and on areas of shared interest. In September 2017 the two organisations released a joint paper outlining how they facilitate the disclosure of material and decision-useful climate-related information following the TCFD recommendations. Read the paper here

Find out more about CDSB's strategic alliances