Sustainability Reporting

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Communicating your sustainability plans and activities

Demands for transparency on sustainability and climate-related risks and opportunities have been increasing for businesses worldwide. Stakeholders are calling out for information that is accessible, informative, comparable, and – of course – not misleading.

Essential decisions – like your choice of reporting standards or framework - are often driven by the ultimate purpose of the report. Your jurisdiction's regulator(s) will likely guide your reporting structure and location if the report's purpose is compliance. For some organisations, this requires consideration of multiple regulations when operations or sales are also in other jurisdictions.

How BDO can help

Whether you're embarking on reporting voluntarily or to meet compliance requirements, our team of experts can support you by establishing and preparing sustainability reporting-related activities to an assurance-ready standard, maximising stakeholder value while minimising business risk, including:

  • Understanding and completing compliance requirements
  • Voluntary reporting framework selection
  • Materiality assessment and stakeholder engagement
  • Full/partial sustainability report development
  • Customised education and upskilling
  • Systems and process evaluation and implementation
  • Assurance readiness.

Tools to help you get started

TCFD checklist

Our TCFD checklist consolidates the 11 recommended TCFD disclosures and 'guidance for all sectors' to help organisations perform a gap analysis as they embark on TCFD reporting. This provides a great stepping stone to implementing IFRS S2.

Download checklist

Sustainability roadmap

This six-step sustainability roadmap will help you establish which sustainability activities are a priority to your organisation based on their importance and value to your stakeholders.

Download checklist

Sustainability standards and mandatory reporting in Australia

In the fast-evolving world of sustainability reporting and disclosures, keeping up with what's required can be difficult. In June 2023, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) issued its first sustainability standards:

• IFRS S1 General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information, and
• IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures.

These standards were made effective on 1 January 2024 but are subject to endorsement in each jurisdiction.

The Australian Government currently has a Bill before the Senate which mandates climate reporting for the largest entities for years beginning on or after 1 January 2025 or 1 July 2025 (depending on when the legislation passes). There will be a further two-year phase-in period for small and medium-sized entities. 

The Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) is currently developing Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards equivalent to IFRS S1 and IFRS S2.

A practical roadmap for financial professionals

BDO collaborated with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) to develop a practical roadmap for Groups 1, 2 and 3 entities aimed at assisting finance professionals in navigating the evolving landscape of climate-related financial disclosures in Australia.

Whether you’re a large corporation or a financial institution, our roadmap, designed for Group 1, 2, and 3 entities, provides clear guidance on climate-related reporting and disclosure deadlines. It simplifies your sustainability journey with essential activities aligned with either compliance or strategic goals.

DOWNLOAD

Voluntary sustainability reporting

If your organisation is embarking on a voluntary sustainability reporting journey, you will likely have more options to consider. Activating sustainability and developing a sustainability report might seem like a daunting task. Like any project, breaking the process down into steps and milestones helps to make it achievable, for example:

  • Assess your current state of ESG activities
  • Understand your stakeholders and business needs to prioritise the most important issues
  • Develop your sustainability strategy, ensuring it also aligns with the company strategy
  • Identify and measure a baseline for your agreed priorities
  • Prepare and publish your sustainability report

A journey of continuous improvement should follow the initial sustainability report, with a plan to monitor and develop performance improvements over time.

Our team of sustainability experts can help you move through the sustainability reporting process, from delivering your materiality assessment to determining the suitable reporting frameworks or developing your strategy for continuous improvement.

Sustainability reporting resources

Articles

Articles

Australian reporting
Climate reporting
Greenwashing
Sustainability reporting in practice
Sustainability standards and frameworks
History of sustainability reporting

BDO Global Sustainability Resources

BDO Global Sustainability Resources

► Sustainability at a Glance

► IFRS Bulletins

► International Sustainability Reporting Bulletins

Webinars

Webinars

Contact us

Contact our team to discuss your needs using the request for service form. Alternatively, call us on 1300 138 991 to speak with an adviser in your nearest BDO office.

Meet our team

Aletta Boshoff

Aletta Boshoff

Partner, Advisory
National Leader, IFRS & Corporate Reporting
National Leader, Sustainability
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