The decision to carve out a separate, bespoke Sustainability Handbook from its existing IR Handbook comes as more listed companies embrace sustainability issues. There are several factors driving this trend.
Firstly, shareholders are pushing issuers on sustainability, and this is only going to intensify. According to research by PwC, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) related assets under management are expected to reach $33.9 trillion by 2027, an exponential increase from 2021 when that figure stood at $18.1 trillion.
Additionally, consumers and regulators are also becoming more vocal about sustainability.
The new Sustainability Handbook provides a more in-depth overview and more detailed analysis about the sustainability ecosystem and issuer related requirements. It also includes a newly introduced chapter about the legal perspective of greenwashing, that brings clarification on this hot topic.
“We want to support our listed companies with their sustainability reporting activities. Our Sustainability Guide will be a vital resource for companies looking for a navigator through the sustainability ecosystem,” said Christian Reuss, Head SIX Swiss Exchange.
And finally, the Handbook is a recognition that the IR and sustainability functions at listed companies have become two important pillars of a publicly listed company. Having a tailored Handbook will help SIX Swiss Exchange to address further the sustainability related needs of issuers and the respective target audience.
“With the sustainability handbook as a stand-alone publication, we are responding to the increasing relevance of sustainability for listed companies and actively promoting better standardization and harmonization of sustainability reporting,” said Vera Sokulskyj, Head Issuer Relations, SIX Swiss Exchange.