Standards and reporting
SASB Standards
SASB Standards help reporting teams identify industry-specific sustainability information useful to investors, but selecting a standard does not automatically determine every material disclosure IFRS Foundation: SASB Standards.
What are the SASB Standards?
SASB Standards identify industry-specific sustainability risks, opportunities and disclosure information relevant to investors across 77 industries IFRS Foundation: SASB purpose.
Module 01 / 04
Industry
Business activities help identify which sustainability issues could affect cash flows, access to finance or the cost of capital.
Module 02 / 04
Topics
Disclosure topics focus the investigation rather than replacing the reporting entity’s materiality judgement.
Module 03 / 04
Metrics
Quantitative and qualitative disclosures come with technical protocols that explain their measurement.
Module 04 / 04
Responsibility
The ISSB maintains and enhances the standards following the 2022 consolidation into the IFRS Foundation.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
A report can use SASB information as an organised source of industry evidence without treating every possible metric as automatically material.
Start with the report’s audience and reporting basis before selecting indicators for a dashboard.
The financial materiality assessment guide connects a sustainability matter with financial channels, evidence and the information selected for disclosure.
The ISSB versus GRI comparison explains their different reporting purposes and the conditions for reusing emissions information.
What does an industry standard contain?
Industry descriptions, disclosure topics, metrics and technical protocols work together rather than forming a universal ESG score SASB Basis for Conclusions: industry content.
| Part | Reader question | Editorial working record |
|---|---|---|
| Industry description | Does this describe our actual activities? | Activities, divisions and reasons for selection |
| Disclosure topic | Could this issue affect our prospects? | Risk or opportunity and the underlying evidence |
| Metric and protocol | What exactly would we measure? | Unit, population, method and exclusions |
| Activity measure | What operational context is relevant? | Source system and consistent reporting boundary |
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
Do not replace the technical protocol with a familiar internal KPI simply because the labels look similar.
A comparison becomes unreliable when two companies use the same heading for different populations or definitions.
How do you choose the relevant SASB industry?
Use the SASB industry navigator and compare the descriptions with the activities that generate the company’s risks and opportunities SASB industry finder.
Module 01 / 03
Business model
Describe what each material business activity actually does before assigning an industry label.
Module 02 / 03
Group structure
A diversified group should investigate whether more than one industry standard provides relevant information.
Module 03 / 03
Judgement
Keep a short explanation of the selection and any apparently relevant standard that was considered but not used.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
The ISSB retained the Sustainable Industry Classification System as the grouping basis for SASB in its enhancement work Basis for Conclusions: SICS decision.
An investment database classification can be a starting clue, but it does not replace reading the industry descriptions.
Does IFRS S1 make SASB reporting mandatory?
IFRS S1 requires entities to refer to and consider SASB applicability, which is different from requiring every SASB disclosure IFRS S1 sources of guidance.
| Reporting basis | Relationship to SASB | Practical implication |
|---|---|---|
| IFRS S1 | Refer to and consider relevant SASB topics and metrics | Record the assessment and disclose material information |
| UK SRS S1 | Paragraphs 55(a) and 58(a) use permissive wording | Decide whether SASB assists the required judgement |
| Standalone SASB use | The chosen reporting basis needs to be clear | Avoid presenting a metric selection as full IFRS S1 compliance |
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
An entity using UK SRS S1 must still identify the guidance and industries it actually applied under paragraph 59 UK SRS S1 paragraph 59.
A voluntary SASB appendix does not by itself satisfy the governance, strategy, risk-management and other requirements of a separate reporting standard.
How should the team assess materiality?
SASB supports the identification of investor-relevant information, but the company still judges which risks, opportunities and information are material in its circumstances ISSB industry guidance explainer.
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Exposure
Identify the asset, workforce, product, supplier relationship or operating location affected.
Module 02 / 04
Financial channel
Explain the possible connection with revenue, costs, assets, financing or resilience.
Module 03 / 04
Time horizon
Consider when the issue could affect the business rather than assuming only immediate effects matter.
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Decision
Document the conclusion and identify who reviewed the evidence.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
For a UK reporting team, connect this work with the UK SRS S1 materiality guide.
An issue being common in an industry is a reason to investigate it, not proof that a particular metric is material for every company.
What might a useful selection note look like?
This fictional example illustrates the reasoning record rather than reproducing an official SASB metric or establishing materiality.
| Fictional activity | Question to investigate | Evidence to obtain |
|---|---|---|
| Food production business | Could water availability constrain production? | Site dependency, supply disruption and water data |
| Distribution division | Could fuel exposure affect operating costs? | Fleet records, contracts and cost sensitivity |
| Newly acquired operation | Are definitions and reporting populations comparable? | Acquisition scope and source-system mapping |
| Investor request | Does the requested indicator address a material issue? | Request wording and the selected technical protocol |
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
The final note should explain why a disclosure is useful and how its definition matches the business.
If the team chooses another measure, retain the reason and make the published definition clear enough for a reader to understand the difference.
What evidence should support a SASB metric?
Use the selected metric’s technical protocol to define the data request and retain a traceable calculation or narrative record SASB metrics and technical protocols.
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Definition
Keep the official metric identifier and the exact version consulted in the working record.
Module 02 / 04
Population
Record which entities, sites, workers or activities the measure includes and excludes.
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Inputs
Connect published numbers to source records, transformations and estimation assumptions.
Module 04 / 04
Review
Keep the preparer, reviewer, unresolved limitations and final publication location together.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
This is an editorial control approach rather than a separate SASB certification process.
The sustainability data management guide can help turn those records into software demonstration requirements.
Which SASB version should you use in 2026?
Version selection needs an industry-specific check because the December 2025 financial-sector amendments do not apply uniformly to all 77 standards Consequential amendments and effective dates.
| Material | Status on 26 October 2026 | Check before use |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-12 industry versions | International-applicability amendments effective from annual periods beginning 1 January 2025 | Read the version stamp of your chosen standard |
| 2025-12 financial amendments | Asset Management & Custody Activities, Commercial Banks and Insurance; effective annual periods beginning 1 January 2027 | Check early application conditions and related IFRS S2 amendments |
| Enhancement exposure drafts | Proposals under consultation or deliberation | Do not silently substitute proposed metrics for issued text |
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
Keep both the reporting period and the standard version on the evidence register.
A document published in 2025 can have a 2027 effective date without being a draft.
How does SASB relate to IFRS S2?
The climate-related SASB content is closely connected with the industry-based guidance accompanying IFRS S2, but SASB covers other sustainability topics too Role of ISSB industry-based guidance.
Module 01 / 04
Climate disclosures
Use the applicable climate reporting standard to establish the overall disclosure requirements.
Module 02 / 04
Industry context
Use the relevant industry-based material to investigate business-model-specific information.
Module 03 / 04
Other topics
SASB also supports consideration of sustainability risks and opportunities beyond climate.
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Reporting claim
State the actual reporting basis rather than treating a SASB table as a full climate report.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
The IFRS S2 guide explains the wider climate disclosure structure.
Keep changes to issued financial-sector SASB metrics separate from the broader enhancement proposals Issued financial amendments.
How is SASB different from GRI?
SASB focuses on investor-useful industry information, while GRI centres reporting on significant impacts on the economy, environment and people SASB investor focus GRI 1: impact reporting purpose.
| Question | SASB workstream | GRI workstream |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Industry-specific sustainability-related financial information | Significant impacts and how they are managed |
| Starting point | Business activities and relevant industry standards | Universal Standards and impact assessment |
| Practical overlap | Some underlying operational data may be useful in both | Definitions and disclosure requirements still need separate checks |
| Reporting statement | Describe the basis and source of guidance used | Choose the appropriate GRI statement of use |
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
A shared data store is useful only if it retains the distinct definitions and reporting boundaries.
Read the GRI Standards guide before reusing a SASB metric within an impact reporting claim.
What should software or consultants demonstrate?
Ask for a traceable example using your selected industry, standard version and reporting boundary rather than accepting a general SASB coverage badge.
Module 01 / 04
Version control
Show where the standard version is stored and how a proposed change is separated from issued content.
Module 02 / 04
Data lineage
Export a result with its inputs, assumptions, owner and reviewer.
Module 03 / 04
Judgements
Show how a considered topic, a rejected metric and the reasons remain visible.
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Handover
Demonstrate an export the reporting team can read after the contract ends.
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
This editorial buying checklist does not rank providers or establish that a product has been tested.
Compare the software selection guide with the sustainability reporting consultancy guide when deciding what support the team actually needs.
Can you download or reuse the SASB Standards?
The SASB Navigator offers current standards through a free registered account, while product and service reuse needs an appropriate licensing check SASB access.
| Use | Useful next step | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Reading an industry standard | Register or sign in to the official Navigator | Relying on an undated third-party copy |
| Corporate disclosure preparation | Check the owner’s applicable access and use terms | Assuming free access removes all copyright conditions |
| Software or commercial products | Ask the Foundation about the relevant licence | Copying full metric tables into a commercial tool without checking rights |
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
This guide paraphrases the reporting approach and directs readers to owner documents for the standards themselves.
What should reviewers challenge before publication?
Challenge the connection between the selected industry, materiality decision, metric definition and final reporting statement Industry-based guidance application.
Module 01 / 04
Selection
Does the record explain the activities covered and the industry sources used?
Module 02 / 04
Consistency
Are units, populations and estimates applied consistently across the reported periods?
Module 03 / 04
Limitations
Can a reader understand exclusions, measurement uncertainty and the effect of changes?
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Claim
Does the report describe what it actually applied without implying a broader compliance conclusion?
Read the detailed guidance and evidence
A visually complete table can still conceal incompatible definitions or an unsupported reporting claim.
Keep the review focused on evidence and reader understanding rather than the number of metrics collected.
How should the reporting team prepare?
This nine-stage editorial workflow organises preparation and review rather than creating a statutory timetable.
- 101
Set the reporting basis
Identify the intended audience and distinguish IFRS S1, UK SRS and standalone SASB use. - 202
Map activities
List divisions and operating activities before selecting industry guidance. - 303
Check versions
Save the issued version and any applicable effective-date or early-application condition. - 404
Assess relevance
Investigate the financial channels and document materiality judgements. - 505
Define measures
Read protocols and agree populations, units, source records and estimates. - 606
Collect evidence
Assign owners and retain reproducible calculations or narrative records. - 707
Resolve differences
Review gaps, boundary changes and differences from internal KPIs. - 808
Review the report
Check publication wording, source identification and the final reporting claim. - 909
Prepare the next cycle
Retain the evidence pack and monitor issued amendments separately from proposals.
Frequently asked
Questions people ask
What does SASB stand for?
SASB refers to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, the body associated with developing the industry standards now maintained by the ISSB.
Are the SASB Standards still used?
Yes, the ISSB maintains and enhances them, and the official Navigator provides access to the standards.
Must every company report every SASB metric?
No, applicability and materiality require judgement rather than a universal checklist of every industry metric.
Does UK SRS require SASB consideration in the same way as IFRS S1?
No, UK SRS S1 paragraphs 55(a) and 58(a) make those references permissive, while paragraph 59 requires identification of the sources actually applied.
Are the enhancement proposals already effective?
An exposure draft is proposed text rather than an issued amendment, so check project status and the issued standard separately.
Is SASB the same as IFRS S2?
No, SASB is industry-based guidance spanning sustainability topics, while IFRS S2 is the climate disclosure standard.
Sources
Primary sources
Primary provisions and official owner guidance checked on 26 October 2026; historical and draft resources are labelled in the guide.
- IFRS FoundationSASB Standards: purpose and ISSB responsibility
- IFRS FoundationSASB Standards Navigator
- IFRS FoundationFind your SASB industry
- IFRS FoundationIFRS S1 supporting implementation and sources of guidance
- IFRS FoundationUsing ISSB industry-based guidance: educational material
- IFRS FoundationEnhancing SASB Standards: project status
- IFRS FoundationJuly 2025 proposed SASB amendments: Introduction
- IFRS FoundationProposed SASB amendments: Basis for Conclusions BC10–13
- IFRS FoundationDecember 2025 consequential SASB amendments
- Department for Business and TradeUK SRS S1: paragraphs 55, 58 and 59
- IFRS FoundationIFRS Sustainability Standards Navigator: access and licensing
- Global Reporting InitiativeGRI 1: Foundation 2021, purpose and system