Question 1

What is SASB Standards and who manages it today?

Accepted Answer

SASB Standards are sector-based sustainability disclosure standards originally developed by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. After the Value Reporting Foundation merged with the IFRS Foundation in 2022, responsibility for SASB Standards passed to the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). The standards provide disclosure topics and metrics that help investors compare companies' sustainability-related risks and opportunities in a sector context.

Question 2

What is SASB reporting consultancy and who needs it?

Accepted Answer

SASB reporting consultancy is the process of determining the company's appropriate SICS industry, selecting the applicable disclosure topics and metrics, identifying data gaps, establishing calculation methodologies and controls, building the evidence file, and preparing disclosures aligned with IFRS S1 or investor reporting. Publicly listed companies, organisations seeking access to finance, private companies facing investor or customer demand, and SMEs can all benefit from this work.

Question 3

What is the key difference between SASB and GRI?

Accepted Answer

SASB Standards are sector-based and focus on sustainability-related risks and opportunities that may be material for investors' general-purpose financial reporting decisions. GRI Standards, on the other hand, take a broader multi-stakeholder perspective on the organisation's impacts on the economy, environment and people. The two approaches do not serve the same need; companies can use them together depending on their reporting objectives.

Question 4

What is the relationship between SASB Standards and IFRS S1?

Accepted Answer

When applying IFRS S1, companies must consider SASB Standards when identifying sustainability-related risks and opportunities and assess the applicability of the relevant disclosure topics. When exercising the judgement under IFRS S1 paragraph 57 for a sustainability-related risk or opportunity to which a specific IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standard does not directly apply, the company refers, under paragraph 58(a), to the metrics associated with the disclosure topics in SASB Standards and assesses their applicability. This does not mean that every SASB topic and every SASB metric is automatically mandatory; the company may conclude, based on its own facts and circumstances, that a particular topic or metric is not applicable.

Question 5

What is the relationship between SASB and TCFD and IFRS S2?

Accepted Answer

TCFD was a recommendation framework; IFRS S2 is the climate-related disclosure standard issued by the ISSB. TCFD's work was completed in 2023 and its core recommendations have been incorporated into IFRS S1 and IFRS S2. IFRS S2's industry-based disclosure topics and metrics are supported by the industry-based guidance derived from SASB Standards. A company applying ISSB Standards does not need to apply the TCFD recommendations separately.

Question 6

What is the SASB Materiality Finder and how is it used?

Accepted Answer

The Materiality Finder is an IFRS Foundation tool that helps companies review possible SICS industry matches, view industry descriptions, and compare SASB disclosure topics across different industries side by side. The tool is a starting point; the final decision on the SICS and the applicable SASB Standard must be made by taking into account the company's actual activities, business model, and sustainability-related risk and opportunity profile.

Question 7

How many industries does SASB Standards cover and what is SICS?

Accepted Answer

SASB Standards contain sector-based disclosure topics and metrics for 77 industries under the Sustainable Industry Classification System (SICS). SICS is a classification system that helps group business models with similar sustainability risks and opportunities. The appropriate industry standard is assessed not merely on the company's name but on its revenue-generating activities and business model.

Question 8

What happens if a company operates in more than one SASB industry?

Accepted Answer

A company may have a primary SICS industry, but if its activities extend across more than one industry, it is not required to adhere to a single standard only. The IFRS Foundation notes that companies may also assess other applicable SICS industries. For this reason, more than one SASB industry standard can be examined for significant activities, and the applicable disclosure topics can be managed within a consolidated metric matrix.

Question 9

What are some examples of SASB metrics?

Accepted Answer

SASB metrics vary by industry. Topics such as energy management, water withdrawal and consumption, data security incidents, product safety, occupational health and safety, waste management or supply chain can be addressed with quantitative or qualitative metrics in the relevant industry standard. For each metric, the related technical protocol and scope definition must also be considered.

Question 10

How are SASB disclosures prepared?

Accepted Answer

A robust process consists of SICS industry determination, identification of applicable disclosure topics, data gap analysis, review of the relevant SASB metrics and technical protocols, assignment of data owners, establishment of calculation methodologies and controls, gathering of evidence, and preparation of the final disclosures. Company targets can also be managed; however, setting a target for every SASB metric is not a general SASB requirement.

Question 11

How do SASB disclosures contribute to investor relations?

Accepted Answer

SASB Standards aim to provide decision-useful and comparable information in a sector context. Properly prepared disclosures can help investors assess a company's sustainability-related risks and opportunities within a framework comparable to similar companies. Using SASB alone does not automatically guarantee a lower cost of capital or improved access to finance.

Question 12

What can be done about data challenges in SASB reporting?

Accepted Answer

Data can come from different sources such as operations, environment, human resources, finance, supply, quality and IT systems. For reliable reporting, it is good practice to identify data owners, document the scope and calculation methodologies, retain source evidence, establish review controls, and track version and change management. These controls should be scaled to the company's reporting and assurance needs.

Question 13

Should XBRL or iXBRL be used for SASB Standards?

Accepted Answer

The IFRS Foundation's SASB Standards Taxonomy supports tagging SASB information in a machine-readable format and can make it easier for investors to extract, compare and analyse the data. As of 27 July 2026, the current version of the SASB Standards Taxonomy published by the IFRS Foundation is the 2024 Taxonomy. The ISSB may update the taxonomy when new or amended standards affecting the taxonomy content are issued for SASB Standards. Whether the use of XBRL or iXBRL is mandatory should be assessed based on the company's reporting channel, applicable regulations and digital reporting architecture.

Question 14

How is SASB Standards being updated in 2026?

Accepted Answer

As part of the 'Enhancing the SASB Standards' project, the ISSB issued an Exposure Draft for Phase 1 in July 2025; this draft proposed comprehensive amendments for nine SASB Standards and targeted amendments on common topics for a further 41 SASB Standards, with the comment period closing on 30 November 2025. The ISSB continued discussing feedback on this draft at its meetings on 25 March 2026 and 13 May 2026; no final decision was made on this agenda item at the 13 May 2026 meeting. The ISSB also issued a second Exposure Draft in March 2026 for the three priority SASB Standards remaining within Phase 1—Agricultural Products; Meat, Poultry & Dairy; Electric Utilities & Power Generators. The 120-day comment period for this second draft ended on 24 July 2026. As of 27 July 2026, these draft amendments had not replaced the currently effective SASB Standards. At its meeting of 21–22 July 2026, the ISSB placed the subsequent development priorities under 'Enhancing the SASB Standards—Phase 2' on its agenda; the published agenda and paper information should not be interpreted as a final decision on which standards will definitively change under Phase 2. When reporting, companies should not use the Exposure Draft texts in place of the currently effective SASB Standards; they should base their reporting on the standard currently in force and separately monitor the final amendments and effective-date provisions to be issued by the ISSB.

Question 15

What software and tools can be used for SASB reporting?

Accepted Answer

SASB work is not tied to any particular software. ESG data platforms, corporate performance management solutions, data warehouses, electronic working papers, or controlled reporting tools can be used. When choosing a tool, data ownership, source connectivity, calculation logic, authorisation, version control, evidence retention and, where needed, digital tagging capability should be assessed.

Question 16

Should SASB disclosures be subject to independent assurance?

Accepted Answer

SASB Standards alone do not impose an independent assurance requirement for all companies. The assurance requirement may vary depending on the company's applicable regulation, reporting framework, investor expectations and the intended use of the report. If assurance is planned, data boundaries, methodology, the evidence file, control owners and an audit trail suitable for sampling should be prepared in advance.

Question 17

How should SASB licensing and usage rights be assessed?

Accepted Answer

SASB Standards fall under the intellectual property rights of the IFRS Foundation. Referencing the standards and preparing the company's own corporate sustainability disclosure is not the same use as reproducing or integrating IFRS/SASB content into commercial software, a data product, an analysis service, investment analysis, or another product or service. According to the IFRS Foundation's current licensing guidance, non-commercial uses such as preparing corporate disclosures may be free of charge, whereas integrating the standard content into reporting software, investment analysis, data services or product development may require a separate licence. Whether a given consultancy service requires a licence does not depend on the name of the service but on how the IFRS/SASB content is actually reused in practice; therefore, it should not be automatically inferred that a licence is or is not required for Europecarbon, and the specific manner of use should be assessed against the IFRS Foundation's current licence terms.

Question 18

In what format can SASB disclosures be published?

Accepted Answer

SASB disclosures can be presented as a standalone content index or investor information note, within a sustainability or integrated report, or within the general-purpose financial reporting package under the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards. The presentation format should be determined according to the company's reporting obligation and user needs. If digital tagging is to be used, the relevant SASB Standards Taxonomy and applicable regulatory requirements should also be assessed.

Question 19

Can SASB Standards be used by companies and SMEs in Turkey?

Accepted Answer

Yes. SASB Standards are not limited to a specific country or only to publicly listed companies. Companies in Turkey, BIST-listed companies, private companies and SMEs can benefit from the relevant SASB industry standard in line with investor, bank, customer or group reporting needs. The scope of implementation should be proportionately designed according to the company's size, reporting purpose and applicable risks and opportunities.

SASB Reporting Consultancy

SICS and the Industry-Focused Approach

Investor-Focused Decision Usefulness

The Role of SASB Standards within IFRS S1 and IFRS S2

How Does SASB Consultancy Proceed?

Consultancy Deliverables

How we work

Frequently asked questions