The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) released its inaugural standards — IFRS S1 (General Requirements) and IFRS S2 (Climate-related Disclosures) — in June 2023. These standards create a global baseline for sustainability reporting, designed to be interoperable with jurisdictional requirements like the EU’s CSRD and India’s BRSR.
For companies reporting across multiple jurisdictions, ISSB is significant because it reduces the “alphabet soup” problem. Instead of separately addressing GRI, TCFD, SASB, and CDP frameworks, ISSB provides a single investor-focused disclosure standard built on TCFD’s four-pillar structure.
Key requirements include: climate-related governance disclosures, strategy description including scenario analysis, risk management processes, and quantitative metrics covering Scope 1, 2, and (where material) Scope 3 emissions, plus climate-related targets and transition plans.
RSustain has been preparing clients for ISSB adoption since the exposure draft stage. Our approach emphasises gap analysis against existing disclosures, data infrastructure readiness, and phased implementation that builds on what companies already report.
With jurisdictions from the UK to Nigeria adopting or endorsing ISSB, the standard is becoming the de facto global requirement. Companies that align early will avoid the compliance crunch that inevitably accompanies mandatory adoption deadlines.