Sustainability

IFRS Foundation has published educational material on using ISSB Industry-based Guidance when applying ISSB Standards

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In 2023, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) issued its first two international IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (IFRS SDS), IFRS S1 ‘General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information’ and IFRS S2 ‘Climate-related Disclosures’.

Since the initial issuance of the IFRS SDS and subsequent transitional relief guidance, there has been significant demand for educational material to assist preparers and practitioners in interpreting and applying the Standards. In response to this demand, and the IFRS Foundation’s commitment to prioritise the implementation of their new Standards, they have released some educational materials to support the Standards.

None of the materials are intended to change the requirements of either Standard, but support entities when implementing them for the first time.

ISSB Industry-based Guidance

IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 require entities to ‘refer to and consider the applicability of’ the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standards and Industry-based Guidance on Implementing IFRS S2, respectively. This new material, ‘Using ISSB Industry-based Guidance when applying ISSB Standards,’ is a useful resource for entities applying IFRS SDS, as it sets out disclosure topics and metrics that are normally relevant for entities with business models associated with specific industries.

The new educational material explains:

  • requirements in IFRS SDS that entities ‘shall refer to and consider the applicability of’ the ISSB Industry-based Guidance  
  • things to consider when applying the ISSB Industry-based Guidance, and
  • requirements for disclosing how an entity has used the ISSB Industry-based Guidance.

This educational material will also be a helpful resource for stakeholders when reviewing the Exposure Draft published on 3 July 2025, ‘Proposed Amendments to SASB Standards,’ which outlines changes to the priority SASB Standards and targeted improvements to others.

Other ISSB guidance

This educational material follows several other publications to support the implementation of IFRS SDS. The first educational materials were released in March 2025 and are entitled ‘Applying IFRS S1 when reporting only climate-related disclosures in accordance with IFRS S2’. The materials provide practical guidance on how to report climate-only information when utilising the ‘climate-first’ transition relief option.  

The second educational materials were released at the end of May 2025 and are entitled 'Greenhouse Gas Emissions Disclosure requirements applying IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures'. These aim to assist users in understanding measurement and disclosure requirements of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in IFRS S2. The focus of the materials is on answering questions related to the reasoning behind certain GHG related requirements, how the GHG Protocol materials can be used in relation to the IFRS S2 requirements, and aspects of the GHG emissions-related requirements.

In addition, further guidance was released in July 2025, entitled ‘Disclosing information about an entity’s climate-related transition, including information about transition plans, in accordance with IFRS S2’. This is aimed at both reporting entities and jurisdictional authorities to assist in the adoption and successful application of IFRS SDS.

Our thoughts

We are pleased to see the ISSB continue to invest in the implementation of their sustainability disclosure standards, via the release of these educational materials. In our view, these materials will help entities understand the requirements set out in the IFRS SDS. They also signal the ISSB’s willingness to address stakeholder feedback.

You can access the materials using the following links: