items Countries are mandated with interpreting and deciding the best method of implementation. The comply or explain principle ensures that if a company does not apply a policy regarding these issues, it will be disclosed publicly, encouraging companies to address this gap, in order to avoid negative publicity. Make friends with your internal finance and audit teams. Keep the narrative concise. Under the Taxonomy Regulation, an environmentally sustainable activity must contribute to at least one of six stated environmental objectives and do no significant harm to the others. As 2021 draws to a close, our annual review of board topics will stimulate your thinking and help prepare you for the year ahead. Theres a good chance UK regulation may mirror parts of this, and any European-based investors you have may apply pressure to see similar disclosures. Since Brexit, these changes wont apply to the UK, however, we cant rule the UK making similar changes as it reviews its own reporting requirements. The Directive applies acomply or explain system, meaning if no policy is in place in one of the above matters, your company must explain the reasons behind this. Lois Guthrie, CDSBs Founding Director and I often said we ran the company on fairy dust, a little magic and a lot of coffee. France adopted the directive with the most stringency. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. portalId: "4003460", Companies of much smaller size are impacted by the NFR Directive too. International guideline for non-financial reporting: a timeline. Added impact assessment and Regulatory Policy Committee assessment. Datamarans patented technology offers real-time analytics on strategic, regulatory and reputational risks, specific to your business and value chain. These include environmental issues (i.e greenhouse gases, energy use); social and employee aspects (such as employee development, employee compensation and benefits); respect for human rights (such as human rights, children rights, labor rights); anti-corruption and bribery (such as bribery, corruption); and diversity on the board of directors (such as workplace diversity and inclusion, board composition, board diversity and independent board directors). The Taxonomy Regulation will require companies and financial institutions covered by the CSRD to report on how, and to what extent, their activities are aligned with the EU taxonomy from 1 January 2022. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued its Annual Review of Corporate Reporting and annual letter to finance directors and audit committee chairs covering its perspective on key developments for 2018/19 annual reports. Recently, organizations such as: theTCFD, The World Economic Forum, The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), and a joint work by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have all published their recommendations on how they expect companies to manage and disclose their non-financial risks. And most of all, make sure the company derives value from what you have accomplished by reducing risks and improving non-financial performance. This includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. But if youre UK based dont stop reading just yet! Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. PDF, 378 KB, 13 pages. A number of voluntary frameworks exist, which can be followed to report on the issues. In preparing their statements, companies may use national, European or international guidelines, such as the. These criteria establish the thresholds by which a company can claim to contribute to and/or do no significant harm to the topic in question. But where to start? We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. The report sets out the FRCs expectations for corporate reporting to improve trust in business, emphasising the annual report is a vehicle of trust and stewardship. Unless, that is, you are unlucky and you need to figure it out yourself, but common sense should apply. New Companies Act and Company Regulation 2016 to transpose EU Directive 2014/95/ covering the disclosure of non-financial and diversity information by certain large undertakings and groups. The FRC letter to Audit Committee Chairs for the 2019/20 reporting season indicates that the FRC expects the statement to contain: This page includes a comprehensive collection ofpublications organised chronologically on the EU non-financial reporting Directive. 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). 11:45pm on 15 April 2016. No one likes being caught out. %PDF-1.5 % Understanding the increase of the number of recorded ESG regulations. GHG emissions, consumption of natural resources, risks in your supply chain) there is no single way of doing it correctly. The NGOs are now starting to talk to each other, rather than beside one another at conferences, and some efforts are underway to provide companies with an overview of the different approaches and outcomes. Ref: BIS/16/35/IA endstream endobj 326 0 obj <. The Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFR Directive) came into effect in all EU member states in 2018. Our annual review is, once again, a full read as there is much to consider. This statement should include information onenvironmental, social and employee matters (including diversity), respect for human rights, anti-corruption and bribery matters. On April 21st 2021, the European Commission launched their proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will amend the existing reporting requirements included in the NFRD. We received 76 responses from interested parties, including: Were asking for views on how to implement the requirements of the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive (2014/95/EU) into UK law. Paul Simpson, CDSB Board Member and CEO of CDP, In this article Founding Director Lois Guthrie remembers some of CDSB's key moments, Dummies guide to the new UK non-financial reporting requirements, Reporting environmental and social information, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, The Companies, Partnerships and Groups (Accounts and Non-Financial Reporting) Regulations 2016. The EU Taxonomy is a wide-reaching piece of legislation that will, among other things, introduce reporting requirements around the extent to which a companys activities are environmentally sustainable. For some cases the Directive applies for all types of companies and in the other cases for publicly listed only. Please note you will be taken to an external website. The Regulatory Space for Non-Financial Disclosure is Blowing Up. You might spend a couple of hours reading various reports and websites. Fill the form on the right to get your free copy. We are expecting to see major shifts in the ways in which companies report, and more details on the relationship between company financial statements, and the non-financial issues impacting business and society. In preparing their statements, companies may use national, European or international guidelines, such as the UN Global Compact, theOECD guidelinesfor multinational enterprises or theISO 2600according to theEU Commission. Materiality Definition: The Ultimate Guide. Companies are given the freedom to disclose this information in the way they find useful or in a separate report. The objective of the EU NFR is to make disclosures around non-financial areas more comparable by requiring companies to publish a non-financial statement, as well as additional disclosures around diversity policy within their Governance Report. Companies must not only provide more granular information on non-financial risks and opportunities within their own operations, they must also consider these across their value chain. The challenge for companies disclosing non-financial information for the first time is often taking guidance and implementing it in practice. Additional details around materiality determination process is required in relation to the following: Read more about the NFR Directives materiality recommendations and its alignment with the TCFD requirements. But how does that help you comply with the new requirements? The Directive requires companies to report on business impact, development, performance and position relating to a set list of non-financial issues. The infographic above also shows that there is a disparity between the percentage of companies that believe themselves to be prepared for the EU Directive, and the percentage of investors who believe companies are prepared. Searching for non-financial reporting will bring up information about the EU Directive, the UK consultation on its implementation and a series of articles describing what has happened. Requires companies to digitally tag the reported information, so it is machine-readable and feeds into the European single access point envisaged in the capital markets union action plan. *}L|R"4#m0 & Ref: BIS/16/35 Start early. The proposed amendments: The proposals still need to go through the formal process of review and amendment, but if adopted are likely to apply for fiscal years beginning on or after 1 January 2023. During October the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) issued its 2016/17 Annual Review of Corporate Reporting and its annual letter to FTSE 350 finance directors and audit committee chairs. Companies within the scope of the Directive will need to disclose information on policies, risks and outcomes as regards environmental matters, social and employee-related aspects, respect for human rights, anti-corruption and bribery issues. Business who fails to take note of the change are leaving themselves exposed. The EU has recently published changes to reporting requirements as part of its package of measures to help improve the flow of money towards sustainable activities across the European Union. Our latest annual reporting survey, Annual report insights 2020, provides insights into practices in annual reporting, focusing on areas where requirements have changed, where regulators are focusing or where innovative practices are emerging. }); __CONFIG_colors_palette__{"active_palette":0,"config":{"colors":{"f3080":{"name":"Main Accent","parent":-1},"f2bba":{"name":"Main Light 10","parent":"f3080"},"trewq":{"name":"Main Light 30","parent":"f3080"},"poiuy":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"},"f83d7":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"},"frty6":{"name":"Main Light 45","parent":"f3080"},"flktr":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"}},"gradients":[]},"palettes":[{"name":"Default","value":{"colors":{"f3080":{"val":"rgb(23, 23, 22)"},"f2bba":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.5)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"trewq":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.7)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"poiuy":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.35)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"f83d7":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.4)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"frty6":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.2)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"flktr":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.8)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}}},"gradients":[]},"original":{"colors":{"f3080":{"val":"rgb(23, 23, 22)","hsl":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09}},"f2bba":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.5)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.5}},"trewq":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.7)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.7}},"poiuy":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.35)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.35}},"f83d7":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.4)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.4}},"frty6":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.2)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.2}},"flktr":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.8)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.8}}},"gradients":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__, Materiality definition: the Ultimate Guide, , The World Economic Forum, The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), and a joint work by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have all published their recommendations on, A number of countries have added requirements regarding the publication of information regarding the, Companies are given the freedom to disclose this information in the way they find useful or in a separate report. FRC letter to Audit Committee Chairs for the 2019/20 reporting season, Governance in focus On the board agenda 2022, Governance in brief FRC issues advice on annual reports for 2021/22 reporting season, Annual report insights 2021 Surveying FTSE reporting, Annual report insights 2020-Surveying FTSE reporting, Governance in focus On the board agenda 2020, Governance in brief FRC issues advice on annual reports for 2019/20 reporting season, Annual report insights 2019 Surveying FTSE reporting, Governance in brief FRC issues advice on annual reports for the 2018/19 reporting season, Annual report insights 2018 Surveying FTSE reporting, Robert Bruce interviews Paul George, Executive Director, Corporate Governance and Reporting at the Financial Reporting Council, Governance in brief FRC issues advice on annual reports for 2017/18 reporting season, Deloitte Comment Letter on the FRC's consultation - Draft amendments to Guidance on the Strategic Report - Non-financial reporting, Annual report insights 2017 Surveying FTSE reporting, Need to know EC adopts guidelines on the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive, Need to know Non-Financial Reporting Regulations, Deloitte comment letter on the BIS consultation on the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive, Next This is where it gets confusing. You're likely to come across various non-financial reporting principles, frameworks and methodologies (including CDP, CDSB, GRI, IIRC, ISO, NCC, SASB, UNGC, UNPRI and sustainability indices) without understanding why there are so many options. In short, there is a lot to do if this is your first year of non-financial reporting. hbbd``b`:$WX]@H:= .Rb1@y)`P\Q V(8xb`` a; e 5 Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. We have published our comment letter on the Financial Reporting Council's (FRC's) consultation on amendments to its Guidance on the Strategic Report. Accept that you're going to tweak everything next year. Creating the TCFD Knowledge Hub has been one of my greatest achievements and, hopefully, a legacy that will continue long after I have left CDSB. As it can be seen in the infographic below, the top 10 banks globally lost $200bn through litigation compensation claims and organizational mishaps related to non-financial issues between 2008 and 2012. PDF, 538 KB, 48 pages. Copyright 2022 Datamaran, all rights reserved. And this trend looks set to continue. This edition of Governance in brief explores the findings in the Corporate Reporting Review (CRR) annual report, the recommendations in the FRCs year-end advice letter to preparers and the aspects of financial statements and broader corporate reporting that the FRC is looking to companies to focus on in the coming year. social matters or human rights. Overall, the scope of the Directive has been defined in reference to the average number of employees, balance sheet total and net turnover. 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. So, what happens if companies do not comply with these laws? Companies can make a decision concerning the materiality perspective (financial or environmental & social, or both) they are adopting when disclosing the information. As always, well be on hand to bring you more detail on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive once the regulations are finalised. A clear description of the companys policies. And then comes the tricky bit ensuring your reporting isnt generic and tick-box but told through the bespoke lens of your company. We want industry views on how we should implement the requirements in the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive (2014/95/EU) into UK law. Closing Out 2021 discusses the principal corporate reporting issues arising in respect of 31 December 2021 annual reports, covering areas of regulatory focus identified in the FRCs Annual Review of Corporate Reporting 2020/2021, issues arising from climate change including new and forthcoming climate-related disclosures and developments in reporting standards. National tribunals and courts will have jurisdiction over the non-financial statements, and will judge according to the texts of relevant national laws, and not the Directive. You can change your cookie settings at any time. %%EOF Collect data on the main issues you have to report on. The Directive sets the minimum scope as Large Public Interest Entities with more than 500 employees during the financial year. As always, it can be a minefield navigating the landscape of changing regulation. This step is optional and covers data verification and assurance. *Or 250 members if based in Sweden or Finland, or 10 if based in Greece. version of this document in a more accessible format, please email, Check benefits and financial support you can get, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Non-Financial Reporting Directive consultation: government response, EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive (2014/95/EU), Consultation on the Non-Financial Reporting Directive, Impact assessment of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive proposals, Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) impact assessment review, clarify legislation concerning sending annual reports electronically and work with the Financial Reporting Council to encourage innovative digital reporting, explore options around gender reporting with business and other stakeholders to consider how best to fulfil this requirement. Requires the audit of reported information (limited level of assurance); Introduces more detailed reporting requirements (see the table below), and a requirement to report according to mandatory EU Sustainability Reporting Standards; and. There are direct mentions of granular environmental topics, such as pollution prevention and circular economy. Sign up here to receive our newsletter. An important point here is that while most countries encourage the use of voluntary frameworks, companies are required to disclose which framework was used, if any. Don't stress out too much on the materiality assessment. This consultation ran from11am on 16 February 2016 to Once the transposition measure is adopted, it is enforced through the national administrative mechanisms applicable to national law. After pieces on the economic outlook, the Nine Big Shifts and the Social Enterprise, we pull together, in one place, a series of articles reviewing many topics on the board agenda across four key themes responsible business, risk & internal controls, remuneration and year-end reporting & assurance. Wed encourage you to read on. How Have Countries Adopted the NFR Directive into Law? The FRC issues advice on annual reports for 2020/21 reporting season. The requirements don't require the use of one approach, so you're free to do what works for your company. Discover more. This edition of 'Need to Know' outlines the new European Commission guidelines on the European Union Non-Financial Reporting Directive. endstream endobj startxref In a wide-ranging video interview Paul George talks to Robert Bruce about the responses to the recent Corporate Governance Code consultation and areas of challenge in governance generally, what the FRC would like to see more of from strategic reports and information on directors responsibilities, what it would like to happen with IFRS post-Brexit, and how the Stewardship Code needs to evolve. It is easy and normal to be confused about all the existing non-financial principles, frameworks and methodologies. Notably, theGRI standardscan be used for each topic and are the most commonly used framework. hb```~L>c`0p\xq@a=s>}$:8 A recent French law the duty of care of parent companies or devoir de vigilance des entreprises donneuses d'ordre is a landmark example of how regulators are demanding more information from companies. Follow the link below to get the latest news straight to your email inbox. Although listed companies have reported GHG emissions under mandatory reporting rules since 2013, many will be looking at the scope of the new requirements for the first time wondering what to do. 362 0 obj <>stream The NFR Directive is just one of the 4,000+ initiatives globally that require or recommend disclosure on non-financial issues and this number is rising at a high speed. Download this free ebook to learn the key elements of the CSRD and the new EU Sustainability Reporting Standards, and see how to conduct a double materiality assessment in 5 simple steps. Whether youre in the finance team, a CSR / environment manager, or a legal compliance officer, let's be honest - there will be a Google search involved to figure out the initial steps. The question ishow can your company get ahead of these rising risks and opportunities? The EU Taxonomy aims to create a classification system for sustainable activities by setting thresholds for activities that support the transition to a sustainable economy. The recent Consultation Document on the Update of the Non-Binding Guidelines on Non-Financial Reporting, released by the European Commission in February 2019 clarifies the disclosure frameworks and materiality analysis process, in particular. Once entered, they are only If a company doesnt meet at least one of the requirements, then the Directive applies to companies with over 500 employees. Don't underestimate how long it takes to collect data and sense check it. And this might mean a lean approach in year one as you figure out what systems you need in place to collect the data you need in subsequent years. We will tell you more about this later (in the section Enforcement Do Directives Present A Business Risk), but for now take a look at what you need to know. As is the rule in EU Law, Directives must be transposed into national law by each member state, giving them a certain amount of liberties in the ways to implement the requirements set by the Union as long as the outcome of the Directive is upheld. You need to ensure you are disclosing the impacts of your business activities on issues that fall into the following categories: The disclosure must include a description of the companys business model, a description of the policies adopted regarding the listed issues, the outcome of said policies, the risks related to those matters linked to the companys operations, and non-financial key performance indicators relevant to the particular business (as referenced within the NFR Directive). In the UK, well let you know as soon as the UKs version of the Taxonomy is published. This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. So, What is the Non-Financial Reporting Directive? Following the adoption of The Companies, Partnerships and Groups (Accounts and Non-Financial Reporting) Regulations 2016 transposing the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive in the UK, the Financial Reporting Council will publish guidance for companies to implement the new requirements. Thats where we love to help. Similarly, on social issues, France went into more detail on issues, such as employee retention and workforce diversity. Since Brexit, the UK has committed to developing its own version of the Taxonomy screening criteria, so well keep you updated with developments. Does your company have offices within the European Union (EU) with over 500 members of staff*? There is some guidance, but no one is shouting out telling you what to do, at least not for free. They were necessary to ensure the UK complied with the EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive (EU NRF) (2014/95/EU), which all EU member states had to transpose into law by the end of 2016. Therefore, prosecution and penalties for non-compliance can present a serious business risk both in terms of a regulatory risk, but also a reputational risk. PDF, 639 KB, 43 pages, Ref: BIS/16/35/RPC Extend the scope to all large companies and all companies listed on regulated markets (except listed micro-enterprises), Require the audit (assurance) of reported sustainability information. Let's turn to Google. We have published our comment letter on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) consultation on the UK implementation of the EU Non-Financial Reporting (NFR) Directive. hyphenated at the specified hyphenation points. Something which is useful here is the. Trusted by blue-chip companies and top-tier partners, it brings a data-driven business process for external risk and materiality analysis. The Companies, Partnerships and Groups (Accounts and Non-Financial Reporting) Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/1245)which implement theEU non-financial reporting directivein the UK, require public interest entities with more than 500 employees to include a non-financial information statement in their strategic report. On 21 April 2021, the EU Commission published the technical screening criteria for the first two environmental objectives climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation. Receive updates & data stories. A new Companies Act and Company Regulation 2016 in the UK are an amendment to the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors Report) and the Company Regulations 2013. If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a With so many stakeholders, politics and possibly some empire building involved , the lack of alignment is not surprising. In this publication we aim to provide insight into practices in annual reporting, focusing on areas where requirements have changed, where regulators are focusing or where innovative practices are emerging. While it is important to get the views of your stakeholders, only your company knows what it does best and where the challenges are, beyond the realm of the finance team. The FRC has issued its Annual Review of Corporate Reporting and annual open letter to finance directors and audit committee chairs covering its perspectives on key developments and areas of focus for 2019/20 annual reports. Datamaran is the only software analytics platform in the world that identifies and monitors external risks, including ESG. They have released the following to help companies implement the Directive:Linking the GRI Standards and the European Directive on non-financial and diversity disclosure (14 Feb 2017). Closing out 2017 discusses the significant corporate reporting issues relevant to 31 December 2017 annual reports, covering areas of regulatory focus identified in the FRCs Annual Review of Corporate Reporting 2016/2017, ESMAs common enforcement priorities for issuers in the European Union together with developments in reporting standards and areas of investor interest.