Introduction
The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), a registered
non-profit organisation in the United States (US), was officially
launched on 4 October 2012. SASB’s stated mission is to develop
and disseminate industry-specific accounting standards for material
sustainability issues for the purposes of integrated reporting. The
SASB standards are suitable for disclosure in standard filings (such
the Form 10-K and 20-F in the US context) but are broadly applicable
and relevant globally for companies looking to report on material
environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.
SASB is developing standards for 88 industries in 10 sectors using a
multi-stakeholder, transparent process. The standards describe both
impacts as well as opportunities for innovation. Taken together “they
characterise a company’s positioning with respect to sustainability
issues and the potential for long term value creation”.