On 31st January 2022, the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) was consolidated into the IFRS Foundation to support the work of the newly established International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). While this site and its resources remain relevant for preparers looking to improve sustainability disclosure until such time as the ISSB issues its IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards on such topics, no further work or guidance will be produced or published by CDSB. For further information please visit the IFRS website.

CDSB Framework now used by over 300 companies

Recent data published by CDP shows that the CDSB Framework is now in use by 314 companies with a combined market capitalisation of US$ 4.2 trillion.

The CDSB Framework sets out an approach for reporting environmental information & natural capital in mainstream reports, such as the annual report, 10-k filing or integrated report. Responses to the CDP 2015 Climate Change questionnaire have shown that 341 companies in 32 countries worldwide are using the CDSB Framework to report environmental information to their stakeholders.

The CDSB Framework is designed to help organisation prepare and present environmental information in mainstream reports for the benefit of investors. It allows investors to assess the relationship between specific environmental matters and the organisation’s strategy, performance and prospects. The Framework has been designed to reflect the highest common denominator of international shared reporting practice, minimising the burden for reporting companies as it builds on existing practices.

Through the provision of robust environmental information, CDSB hopes to encourage analysis and decision-making by investors that recognises the dependence and impacts of economic and financial stability on natural capital.

The 341 companies reporting using the CDSB Framework span 10 sectors, with the top three being financials (70), industrials (70) and consumer discretionary (40). The total market capitalisation of companies making use of the Framework for reporting is US$ 4.2 trillion – more than the 2014 GDP of Germany (US$ 3.8 trillion), the 4th highest global GDP. 

One organisation not in this dataset is NASA, who uses the CDSB framework to prepare its Climate Risk Management Plan