Sustainability & Trust: Role of Assurance in Sustainability Reporting

Introduction

The concept of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting has gained significant traction as businesses recognize the importance of sustainable growth and corporate responsibility. ESG reporting is now a key component of corporate reporting, providing stakeholders with the information they need to make informed decisions about investing, lending, and partnerships. 

Investors and other stakeholders increasingly demand greater transparency and accountability around ESG performance, recognizing the potential risks and opportunities that ESG issues present for business value and reputation. 

However, ESG reporting practices vary widely across companies and sectors, which can lead to inconsistencies, data-quality gaps, and a lack of meaningful information for stakeholders. This highlights the growing need for organisations to adopt transparent and accountable reporting practices that deliver accurate and reliable ESG information. 

Deloitte is pleased to invite you to the workshop “Sustainability & Trust: Role of Assurance in ESG Reporting,” where our experts will share practical insights on the latest ESG reporting frameworks and explain how assurance can strengthen credibility, improve data quality, and build stakeholder trust.

Target Audience

This workshop is intended for:

• Corporate Sustainability Officers (CSOs) — responsible for ESG and sustainability strategy and reporting
• Internal Auditors, Heads of Audit, and Audit Managers — integrate ESG risk and compliance into the internal audit plan to strengthen controls over material ESG risks
• Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) — oversee financial disclosures and integrate sustainability considerations into financial reporting
• Corporate Reporting Teams — responsible for both financial and non‑financial reporting
• Risk & Compliance Officers — ensure the organisation meets evolving regulatory requirements for sustainability reporting

Course content

The event will cover a range of topics, including the following among others:

• Overview of the Sustainability Reporting Process
  • ESG Implementation Roadmap: Strategy to Reporting  Emerging trends in sustainability disclosure and reporting
  • Building trust through external assurance of sustainability data
• Deep-dive into Sustainability Assurance
  • Key considerations before undertaking a sustainability assurance engagement
  • Assurance readiness assessment: readiness of internal processes for external assurance
  • Understanding sustainability assurance standards – ISAE 3000 and ISSA 5000
  • Key components and practical aspects of a sustainability assurance engagement
  • Role of organizational departments in a sustainability assurance engagement
• Data Quality, Process & Management
  • Collecting and aggregating relevant data, supported by a suggested approach to the collection process and an overview of sustainability data solutions. 
  • Governance and risk management structures and processes for sustainability data, addressing key dependencies between different functions and projects

Course Objectives

By the end of this session, participants should be able to:

• Offer a comprehensive introduction to the sustainability assurance process.
• A deep understanding of sustainability assurance standards
• Equip participants with practical aspects of assessing strengths and weakness of sustainability data in alignment with sustainability reporting frameworks.
• Encourage participants to align sustainability reporting with internal processes and departments.

Course Benefits

• Participants will engage with industry experts on topical issues
• Interaction and engagement with other industry colleagues
• Access to relevant thought leadership