Enhancing trust in your sustainability reporting
Sustainability assurance
The way your organisation reports on sustainability influences stakeholder perceptions of your values and integrity
Regulatory developments worldwide—such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)—are pushing for greater transparency than ever before. Today’s stakeholders expect sustainability reporting to meet the same rigorous standards as financial reports.
Here in Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia has taken decisive steps to improve the transparency and credibility of Sustainability Statements by significantly enhancing the Main Market and ACE Market Listing Requirements. These enhancements now require the Sustainability Statement to be prepared in accordance with the IFRS® Sustainability Disclosure Standards as issued by the ISSB as well as providing a ‘Statement of Assurance’ confirming whether the Sustainability Statement has undergone an internal review or independent assurance process.
Bursa recommends increasing the coverage of the assurance pertaining to the Sustainability Statement over time with the aim of eventually subjecting the entire Sustainability Statement to an assurance process.
Bursa Malaysia’s Sustainability Reporting Guide (3rd edition)Stakeholders expect the same high standards for sustainability reporting as they do for financials
There is mounting pressure from investors, boards and consumers for companies to provide reliable information—what is referred to as investor-grade reporting. Companies looking to lead in this space will need a strong reputation anchored in trusted and assured reporting. Independent assurance is more critical than ever. We’re here to help you turn sustainability reporting—and verified data—into a business advantage.
Preparing for investor-grade reporting
Strategy ❯
Create the strategy and business case to be sustainability-driven.
Measurement ❯
Understand and quantify impacts to better inform company decisions.
Implementation ❯
Adapt structures, policies, processes and/or systems to help achieve ESG goals.
Reporting ❯
Report ESG information to meet stakeholder needs.
Assurance ❯
Obtain independent assurance on ESG metrics to enhance stakeholders’ trust.
Here’s how we can help
Independent assurance on the Common Indicators required by Bursa Malaysia, as well as other material sustainability information disclosed
Data verification for sustainability-related metrics or questionnaires
ESG data or reporting readiness assessment for your material sustainability information
Factual findings report on sustainability metrics or sustainability performance targets
Benefits to you
Understand the latest regulatory developments and considerations around obtaining limited or reasonable assurance.
Leverage our global presence network of more than 11,500 sustainability specialists, each having deep technical sustainability and audit acumen.
Gain perspectives on industry-leading practices and the impact they may have on your reporting.
Benefit from a multidisciplinary team with a wide range of expertise and certifications across sustainability, finance, accounting, supply chain and more, including those who have helped develop leading ESG standards and frameworks.
Streamline your approach and reduce processing time with a tech-enabled strategy across the data lifecycle with our suite of digital tools and methodologies.
Explore related case studies
- A leading Malaysian bank
- A multinational telecommunications company
- Malaysian leading agribusiness group
- Regional property developer and construction company
A leading Malaysian bank
Client’s challenge: The bank set ambitious sustainability targets, including mobilising sustainable finance by 2025. Facing scrutiny from stakeholders on their sustainability reporting, the Board Sustainability Committee sought to enhance confidence by mandating independent assurance of sustainable finance achievements.
How we approached this: We performed limited assurance on the bank’s sustainable finance achievements based on the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000. We reviewed their framework against global standards for green and social financing reporting and sustainability-linked loan principles, providing recommendations on the bank’s controls and governance processes for the reporting of sustainable finance transactions.
Delivering sustained outcome: Independent assurance enhanced the credibility of the bank’s sustainable product frameworks and bolstered investor confidence in their sustainable finance practices, ensuring accountability and fostering stakeholder engagement.
A multinational telecommunications company
Project description: We provided limited assurance in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 on selected information within the client’s Sustainability and National Contribution Report 2021, which included the following:
direct (Scope 1) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions
proportion of senior management hired from the local community
proportion of spending on local suppliers
average training hours per employee per year, disaggregated by gender and employee category
percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews.
Malaysian leading agribusiness group
Client’s challenge:
- The client aimed to become a leading certified sustainable palm oil producer globally.
- To enhance the transparency and credibility of their climate commitments, the senior management and the Board sought external assurance on the reported greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
How we approached this: We provided limited assurance on Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions reported in the client’s annual report for the year ended 31 December 2023, in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3410. This GHG assurance engagement involved conducting site visits to selected locations, assessing the completeness and accuracy of the reported emissions and evaluating the appropriateness of methodology used based on the relevant GHG Protocol guidelines, including the Scope 3 Calculation Guidance, the Land Sector and Removal Guidance and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines.
Delivering sustained outcome: Through our interim management letter, we helped management to prioritise key assurance matters. The key matters were categorised into thematic areas such as data quality, process, governance and controls, and the appropriateness of methods or estimates.
Regional property developer and construction company
How we have helped:
- We provided limited assurance on selected sustainability Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000.
- We identified and addressed gaps in processes and controls to establish a robust data collection system.
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