CRD launches report on alignment between its members' sustainability standards and frameworks and the TCFD recommendations

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24 Sep, 2019

At the World Congress of Accountants in Australia in November 2018, the Corporate Reporting Dialogue (CRD), which brings together organisations that have significant international influence on the corporate reporting landscape, announced a two-year project focused on aligning the standards and frameworks of its members. A report 'Driving Alignment in Climate-related Reporting' was now launched amongst businesses and investors at the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit, during Climate Week NYC.

The publication maps the better alignment project participants’ standards and frameworks against the seven principles for effective disclosure, the 11 recommended disclosures and 50 illustrative example metrics detailed in the recommendations published by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) in June 2017. It also documents the commonalities and differences between the participants within the parameters of the TCFD recommendations’ example metrics.

Participants of the CRD project on better alignment are the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). Additional members of the CRD are the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB, observer), the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The mapping in the report shows strong alignment between the participants’ frameworks and standards and the TCFD recommendations, specifically:

  • The TCFD’s seven ‘Principles for Effective Disclosures’ are harmonious and complementary with those of the participants’ frameworks and standards, with the mapping showing no sources of conflict.
  • The participants are well-aligned with the TCFD’s 11 recommended disclosures, each of which is comprehensively covered by the frameworks and standards.
  • Overall, 80% of the TCFD’s 50 illustrative metrics are fully or reasonably covered by CDP, GRI and SASB indicators.
  • There are high levels of alignment between CDP, GRI and SASB for the TCFD’s illustrative example metrics, with 70% of the TCFD’s 50 metrics showing no substantive difference between the participants’ indicators. For the remaining 15 indicators, substantive differences are limited.

The full report can be downloaded here and will be presented at two webinars on 10 October 2019. Participants must register for the webinars in advance to gain access. Please click for more information on the CRD website.

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