14 October 2019

WBCSD: Reporting matters 2019 - regulators and standard setters urged to simplify and align the corporate reporting landscape

WBCSD calls on regulators and standard setters to simplify and align the corporate reporting landscape in the seventh edition of Reporting matters – WBCSD’s annual review of member companies’ sustainability and integrated reports in partnership with Radley Yeldar (RY).

Spanning 159 leading companies from 19 supersectors and 34 countries, this year’s research points to continued progress in corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting and disclosure as well as a continued movement towards digital reporting.

The current convergence of public pressure, government regulation and investor scrutiny has led to an explosion of information requests and reporting approaches to satisfy stakeholder needs. While this has made sustainability reporting an imperative for business, it has also created a significant burden for reporters.

This year, Reporting matters presents the evolution in reporting that WBCSD and its members want to see in response to the increasing complexity of the reporting landscape, alongside external perspectives from leading regulatory and voluntary voices.

 Three addendum reports explore distinct aspects of reporting:

• The role of risk and governance in internal decision-making and external disclosure;
• How sustainability strategy and target-setting is evolving as we approach 2020; and
• The future of digital reporting and emerging technologies.

Peter Bakker, President and CEO of WBCSD, said: “Our research shows that the range of ESG reporting frameworks, standards, requirements and voluntary initiatives is continuing to expand, making the reporting landscape complex and challenging for our members. We hope the underlying research and clear call to action to simplify and align the corporate reporting landscape we present in this report will provide a cornerstone for transforming the financial system to reward the most sustainable companies and allow their solutions to achieve the scale that society needs.”

Full press release on WBCSD

Full report: Reporting matters 2019