The REP Wrap: EFRAG to host talks on disclosure rules for SMEs
Your weekly summary of corporate sustainability news.
EFRAG is inviting companies, NGOs, standard setters, auditors, consultants and others to a series of workshops next week to discuss its proposed standards for listed SMEs. The body, which advises the EU on its European Sustainability Reporting Standards, put the draft out for consultation earlier this year and a final standard is expected to be applicable from 2026. It is running a number of meetings on Friday September 27th to explore whether the rules are “proportionate enough”.
The world’s largest companies are continuing to set ambitious climate targets despite the backlash against sustainability, according to a study by Climate Impact Partners. The carbon-offset specialist published a report this week concluding that 45% of firms in the Fortune Global 500 now “plan to be net zero by 2050” – up from 39% last year. Growth has been seen in North America and Asia, but not in Europe. More than 40% of companies “explicitly state they will use carbon credits to meet a carbon neutral or net zero target,” noted the report. Deloitte recently published a report that also argued firms are bullish on sustainability, despite the headwinds.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will reportedly propose a resolution to the conflict over the EU’s deforestation regulation. Progressive politicians have this week reiterated their support for the current legislative timeline, which would see the rules enter into force for Europe’s largest companies in December. They are calling for the publication of delayed guidelines to enable that, but there is resistance from a growing number of politicians and companies who argue the rules are almost impossible to comply with in practice, and are extraterritorial in nature. They want the law postponed or scrapped. Von der Leyen has apparently now reassured her colleagues in the EPP that she will come up with a solution in the coming days.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has disbanded a group of lawyers who were convened to help it tackle greenwashing. The enforcement division of the US regulator set up a Climate and ESG Taskforce three years ago, but Bloomberg Law recently confirmed that it had been quietly shuttered. The news comes as the SEC faces political and legal challenges to its decision to pursue rules on ESG and climate change.
More than 440 organisations are now signed up to report according to the recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, which were published a year ago this week. They include listed companies representing around $6trn in market capitalisation. The taskforce is working on nature-focused transition plans, issues associated with oceans, how to assess nature-related risks at corporates, and a second batch of sector-specific guidance.
Research from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has found that companies using its framework achieve higher social ratings. The body teamed up with the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) to test out the correlation between sustainability-related transparency and performance. They concluded that firms using the GRI reporting template score at least 47% higher on WBA’s Social Benchmark. The authors claim the research demonstrates that the push for stricter environmental and social disclosure measures is contributing to meaningful positive change in corporate behaviour.