External Assurance |
S&CC reporting provides a credible way for organizations to publicly disclose their corporate responsibility and sustainability activities, along with their progress toward goals.
Stakeholders such as regulators, investors, employees, and insurers are relying more on third-party assurance to judge the accuracy and reliability of a company's S&CC reports.
Deloitte member firm professionals work with clients to help them understand what level of assurance fits their needs, the expectations of stakeholders, and the requirements of relevant reporting frameworks. As part of this process, Deolitte can:
- Assess current reporting activities and assurance needs.
- Apply AICPA standards and Deloitte's audit/review approach to develop audit or review procedures that meet the requested level of assurance.
- Form an assurance conclusion and issue an assurance report to be included in the client’s S&CC report.
Providing assurance on a S&CC report is similar to providing assurance on financial statements. The AICPA standards regarding quality control, the general attest standards (including the need for suitable criteria and independence), and the standards of field work (including the concepts of materiality), all remain relevant.
Benefits of external assurance include:
- Greater understanding of current S&CC performance and identification of areas for improvement.
- Improve the quality of reporting processes and controls.
- Increased stakeholder confidence and enhanced understanding of regulatory compliance gaps.
- Meet the standards of reporting under relevant frameworks (e.g., the GRI G3).
- Improved ability to meet investors’ and other stakeholders’ expectation of accurate disclosures.
- Greater credibility among current and potential employees, business partners, and government regulators.
