ICAP CFAP CFAP-3: Sustainability Reporting and Assurance Syllabus

What three components make information a 'faithful representation' under IFRS S1?

It must be complete, neutral and accurate (free from error).

Under IFRS S1, when must sustainability-related financial disclosures be reported relative to the financial statements?

At the same time as the related financial statements (same reporting period), and the disclosures form part of general purpose financial reports.

What transitional relief did IFRS S1 provide for the first annual reporting period?

An entity may report only climate-related risks and opportunities (IFRS S2) in the first year ('climate-first' relief), deferring other sustainability disclosures, and is exempt from providing comparative information in the first year.

What was the effective date of IFRS S1 and S2?

Annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2024, with earlier application permitted (provided IFRS S2 is also applied).

In Pakistan, which body has issued the roadmap for adoption of IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards?

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), with support from ICAP, through a phased adoption roadmap for IFRS S1 and S2.

What is the objective of IFRS S2 (Climate-related Disclosures)?

To require disclosure of information about climate-related risks and opportunities that is useful to primary users in deciding whether to provide resources to the entity.

What two categories of climate-related risks are defined in IFRS S2?

Physical risks (acute and chronic) and transition risks (policy, legal, technological, market and reputational changes associated with moving to a lower-carbon economy).

Under IFRS S2, what is the difference between acute and chronic physical risks?

Acute physical risks are event-driven (e.g., cyclones, floods, wildfires); chronic physical risks arise from longer-term shifts in climate patterns (e.g., rising temperatures, sea-level rise).

What are the three 'Scopes' of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disclosed under IFRS S2?

Scope 1 (direct emissions), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased energy), and Scope 3 (other indirect emissions across the value chain).

Under IFRS S2, which measurement framework must be used to measure GHG emissions?

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (2004), unless a jurisdictional authority or exchange requires a different method.

What is required regarding Scope 3 emissions under IFRS S2?

An entity must disclose its Scope 3 (value chain) GHG emissions, including financed emissions for entities participating in asset management, commercial banking or insurance (Category 15).

What is 'climate resilience' analysis under IFRS S2 and what tool is used?

An assessment of the entity's capacity to adjust to climate-related changes, developments or uncertainties using climate-related scenario analysis.

What must an entity disclose about climate-related 'transition plans' under IFRS S2?

Information about any transition plan, including key assumptions and dependencies, and how it plans to achieve climate-related targets such as GHG emission reduction targets.

Under IFRS S2, what must be disclosed about climate-related 'targets'?

Quantitative and qualitative targets, whether they are absolute or intensity-based, the period covered, base period, milestones, and whether the target was validated by a third party.

What 'cross-industry metric categories' does IFRS S2 require disclosure on?

GHG emissions; climate-related transition risks; physical risks; climate-related opportunities; capital deployment; internal carbon prices; and remuneration linked to climate considerations.

What does the IFRS S2 application guidance require regarding 'industry-based metrics'?

An entity must refer to and consider the applicability of the industry-based disclosure topics and metrics in the Industry-based Guidance on Implementing IFRS S2 (derived from SASB Standards).

What is the purpose of the SASB Standards?

To identify the subset of sustainability-related risks and opportunities most likely to be financially material for companies within a particular industry, providing industry-specific disclosure topics and metrics.

What is the foundational principle of 'financial materiality' in the SASB Standards?

Information is financially material if omitting, misstating or obscuring it could reasonably be expected to influence investment or lending decisions made by primary users on the basis of the entity's enterprise value.

How many sustainability dimensions and how does SASB classify industries?

SASB uses 5 sustainability dimensions (Environment; Social Capital; Human Capital; Business Model & Innovation; Leadership & Governance) and classifies companies via the Sustainable Industry Classification System (SICS) into 77 industries.

In SASB Standards, what is the difference between a 'disclosure topic' and an 'accounting metric'?

A disclosure topic is an industry-specific sustainability issue likely to be financially material; an accounting metric is the quantitative or qualitative measure used to provide useful information on performance against that topic.

What are 'activity metrics' in the SASB Standards?

Quantitative measures of the scale of a company's business (e.g., units produced, number of customers) used to normalise or contextualise accounting-metric data for comparison.

Why are SASB Standards described as 'industry-specific' rather than universal?

Because the sustainability issues that are financially material differ by industry, so each industry standard contains a tailored set of disclosure topics and metrics relevant to that industry's business model and risks.

What is the scope of ISSA 5000 (International Standard on Sustainability Assurance)?

It is an overarching, framework-neutral, profession-agnostic standard for assurance engagements on sustainability information, applicable to both limited and reasonable assurance engagements across any sustainability reporting framework.

Under ISSA 5000, what is the difference between 'limited assurance' and 'reasonable assurance'?

Reasonable assurance provides a high (but not absolute) level of assurance with a positive form of conclusion; limited assurance provides a meaningful but lower level of assurance expressed in a negative (modified) form of conclusion.

What form of conclusion is expressed in a limited assurance engagement under ISSA 5000?

A negative form: stating that nothing has come to the practitioner's attention that causes them to believe the sustainability information is materially misstated.

What are the elements of an assurance engagement under ISSA 5000?

A three-party relationship (practitioner, responsible party, intended users), an underlying subject matter, suitable criteria, sufficient appropriate evidence, and a written assurance report.

Who are the three parties in a sustainability assurance engagement under ISSA 5000?

The practitioner (assurance provider), the responsible party (which prepares the sustainability information), and the intended users.

What does ISSA 5000 require regarding the 'preparer' of sustainability information and the value chain?

The practitioner must understand the entity, its environment and applicable criteria, including obtaining evidence over value chain information and assessing risks of material misstatement, including from fraud, across the reported sustainability information.

Which body issues the International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance (IESSA), and within what framework?

The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), as additions to the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including independence standards).

What are the five fundamental principles of ethics applied to sustainability assurance under the IESBA Code/IESSA?

Integrity, Objectivity, Professional Competence and Due Care, Confidentiality, and Professional Behaviour.

What is the key feature of the IESBA's IESSA standards regarding who they apply to?

They apply to all sustainability assurance practitioners (profession-agnostic), whether or not they are professional accountants, covering ethics and independence including a conceptual framework to identify, evaluate and address threats.