August 1, 2024
Assessing corporate environmental, social and governance assurances
Voluntary disclosure of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues by corporations in the United States have become increasingly common over the last decade. Investors, stakeholders and companies utilize ESG metrics to assess an organization’s sustainability and ethical impact, with stakeholders increasingly demanding ESG assurance, wherein third parties verify the metrics disclosed in ESG reports.
Research from the University of Washington is assessing the landscape and evolution of ESG assurances among U.S. public companies, with findings from that work recently cited by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission when it approved a rule that will require public companies to report their climate risks and greenhouse gas emissions.