May 18, 2017

Introducing the SASB Alliance: Embracing a Market Standard

Nicolai Lundy
Director of Education & Partnerships, SASB

Today, The SASB Foundation is proud to introduce the SASB Alliance – a new membership program for individuals and organisations who are coming together to shape the future of companies’ management of material sustainability factors and investors’ consideration of those factors.

Since joining SASB in 2013—when the organisation had only released 6 of its full set of 79 provisional standards—I have seen, felt, and heard the excitement for SASB’s work. The market is calling for decision-useful, cost-effective, and standardised sustainability information. Companies are tired of seemingly endless, one-off questionnaires that aren’t tailored to their industry or material value drivers. Investors are frustrated with a lack of comparability and frequent gaps in the data that’s currently available.

A market standard can solve both problems, but we must come together to make the adoption of this market standard a reality. To do so, people and organisations need support and education about the use and implementation of the market standard. Over the years, I’ve received many inquiries for case studies on the connection between management of material sustainability information and corporate financial performance. I’ve also received countless requests to connect people who are dipping their toes in the sustainability accounting waters.

Previously, my SASB colleagues and I often had to turn down those requests, due to lack of dedicated resources. However, we recently moved to a two-tier governance structure that allows us to meet the market need for support and community. In the new model, a 501(c)3 organisation called the SASB Foundation is responsible for finances, governance, and providing the market with education and resources that advance the field of sustainability accounting. The Foundation delegates authority for standards setting to the SASB, a newly appointed technical board.

Now, via the new SASB Alliance, the SASB Foundation can develop more meaningful engagement with our new members and support them as they move closer to capturing the benefits of a market standard that SASB offers. Through exclusive benefits such as specialised education, practical resources, and product discounts, SASB Alliance members are equipped to adapt to the market’s increasing use of material sustainability information.

I invite you to join our SASB Alliance community! Together, we will develop and explore best practices for companies and investors as they leverage material sustainability information for better performance. Together, we will make the use of a market standard a reality.

–Nicolai Lundy, Director of Education & Partnerships

Join the SASB Alliance to be a part of a networkdedicated to advancing best practices for sustainability disclosure.