SASB launches diversity, greenhouse gas and air quality projects

December 24, 2021

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) has launched projects to tackle diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) across multiple standards, and to evaluate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and air quality in its Marine Transportation standard.

The first project will evaluate whether to add or revise disclosure topics and metrics across a range of SASB industry standards to assess the impact of DEI on enterprise value.

Research will also be conducted to refine the industry list, examine channels and industries across markets, and to develop a view on the scope of disclosure topics and the general issue of category mapping.

The DEI project is part of the broader Human Capital mission, which is assessing the scope and prevalence of various human capital management themes across SASB sectors and 77 industries.

The second project will aim to evaluate improvements to accounting metrics in the GHG and air quality in the Marine Transportation Standard.

The launch of the initiative follows feedback from key stakeholders and analysis of marine transportation industry company disclosures and their alignment with current standards.

Further research and materials will also be developed to facilitate consultations with market participants, focusing on the informational needs of investors.

In November, SASB launched the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), which is currently working on the development of a global sustainability disclosure standard.

Jeffrey Hales, chair of the SASB Standards Board, said: “In response to robust market feedback, we are pleased to advance standard-setting on human capital and marine transportation.

“Because the ISSB’s standards will build on existing frameworks and standards, we encourage the market to continue to engage in the SASB Standards development process now in preparation to engage with and implement the ISSB’s standards in the future.”