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.

Consultation on the updated CDSB Framework

CDSB invites public comment on the expansion of its reporting framework beyond climate change to include environmental information.

Why did we expand the Framework?

The updated CDSB Framework is designed to help organizations prepare and present environmental information in mainstream reports for the benefit of investors. Information prepared in accordance with the CDSB Framework is designed to allow investors to assess the relationship between specific environmental information and the organization’s strategy, performance and prospects. Through the provision of robust environmental information, CDSB hopes to encourage analysis and decision-making by investors that recognizes the dependence of economic and financial stability on a stable and healthy environment.

What have we done?

We have updated the existing CDSB Climate Change Reporting Framework, originally released in September 2010. The principles and requirements in the updated CDSB Framework have been revised to take account of recent development in corporate non-financial reporting. The main changes are to the scope and structure of the CDSB Framework.

The scope of the updated CDSB Framework now encompasses environmental information. This takes into account and is aligned with the requirements of the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directives. In particular, environmental information includes natural capital. The Framework provides specific guidance on the characterization, measurement and reporting for GHG emissions, forest risk commodities and water, as those are the matters for which guidance is currently most developed.

This final draft builds on the feedback received during the first consultation held in Spring 2014.

CDSB’s mission is not to add requirements to the reporting landscape, but to complement them for mainstream reporting as necessary and fill gaps where they exist. The content of the requirements and guidance has therefore been influenced by the work of CDSB Board Members and other organizations leading corporate reporting activity, including the OECD, IASB, IIRC, GRI, CEO Water Mandate, IFAC, the Australian Water Accounting Standards Board and others. To see how the CDSB Framework references and aligns with other reporting sources, see Section 7.2.

Watch briefing

Watch a briefing webinar outlining the updates to the Framework and how to respond here.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding the expansion, please contact CDSB Technical Manager Désirée Lucchese ( ). 

This work has been made possible with the kind support of the Velux Foundations.