Sustainability Report Assurance

Training and Report Assurance Services

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Danielle Stapleton

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What is Sustainability Report Assurance ?

Sustainability Report Assurance involves reporting of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) information which increases confidence, credibility, and transparency in disclosures for investors, customers, stakeholders and regulators.

Today, there are a growing number of demands for sustainability reporting. Understanding how to integrate financial and non-financial disclosures can be challenging. Do you need help figuring out which standards apply, and which indicators are most material to your organization?

SCS Global Services can help. We are on top of the latest developments in Sustainability reporting and we can help ensure your ESG disclosures are transparent and meaningful. Many key reporting frameworks recommend that sustainability reports undergo independent assurance. Find out how SCS can help you take your sustainability and CSR programs and reporting to the next level.

Benefits of Assurance Include:

  • Increase confidence in your disclosures and resiliency to ESG risks with investors and ESG rating companies
  • Improve your grade with CDP, Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), MSCI, Sustainalytics, ISS, etc.
  • Ensure reported data is accurate, reliable, and material to stakeholders
  • Ensure your reporting covers all material topics and is aligned with the GRI Standards and/or SASB reporting frameworks
  • Hone your organization’s sustainability strategy by measuring against AccountAbility’s Principles of Materiality, Inclusiveness, Responsiveness and Impact
  • Meet regulatory requirements for Conflict Mineral disclosure, London Bullion Market Association, London Platinum and Palladium Market and more
  • Increase trust and support from stakeholder groups

Standards Used:

AccountAbility’s AA1000AS v3: AA1000 AS V3 is the latest version of the Standard which takes effect January 1, 2021. AA1000 AS was developed specifically to assure sustainability performance against four Principles of AccountAbility - Inclusiveness, Materiality, Responsiveness and Impact along with the underlying performance criteria. SCS is one of only a few trained Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioners (CSAP) in the U.S. ISAE 3000: SCS practitioners can audit any non-financial indicators based on the ISAE 3000 Standard utilizing company or scheme guidance for specific topics. These audits include DJSI, Precious Metals assurance through London Bullion Market Association and London Platinum and Palladium Market, Conflict Mineral Reports and more.

  • Service Offerings
  • Process

We provide customized solutions to meet your needs no matter where you are in the process. Our in-house experts can validate specific performance data or assure your entire report. Contact us to discuss how we can help you achieve more material, meaningful and comprehensive sustainability reports.

We Offer:
  • Report Assurance under the AA1000 AccountAbility Assurance Standard – Assurance is determined through an assessment performed by SCS, which covers four principles: inclusivity, materiality, responsiveness and impact.
  • Non-Financial Data Assurance (e.g., under ISAE 3000) – This includes assurance of specific data for Dow Jones, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), and other reporting frameworks.
  • Report Assurance Training – SCS offers training and courses to educated sustainability leaders on the principles of Accountability that underpin the AA1000 Standard. This can help your organization develop more impactful reports and achieve positive assurance results.

Complementary SCS Services

Bundle multiple services and save! SCS offers many compatible corporate verification services such as carbon footprint measurement and verification under a variety of internationally recognized programs, water stewardship certification and consulting for your facility, zero waste consulting and certification, responsible sourcing advisory and verification for your supply chain, and more.

We provide the critical services companies need for ensuring stakeholder communications are effective and credible. The report assurance process is an open-loop format – SCS can jump in at any stage to help organizations fulfill their needs and progress to the next stage, with continuous feedback to act upon throughout the year.

Services Include:

  • Materiality Review
  • Stakeholder Mapping and Outreach
  • Framework alignment
  • Pre-assurance
  • Report Assurance and/or Data Verification

Example of the Report Assurance Process:

  1. SCS determines scope and provides client with an engagement letter, explaining responsibilities of the parties, timeline and costs. Scoping considers which standards are we using, what level and type of assurance you are seeking, the project boundaries, etc.
  2. SCS conducts a materiality assessment which includes a review of stakeholder feedback, social media, news and other online mentions to ensure material issues are transparent in the client’s sustainability report
  3. SCS performs data and process audit (either an on-site or desk assessment)
  4. SCS determines conformance to AA1000 Principles and any specific performance metrics, and provides an Assurance Statement as well as a Report to Management with the methods and findings

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Danielle Stapleton

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