Company Use

Companies and SASB

In today’s world, companies face a unique set of challenges, from climate change and resource constraints to urbanization and technological innovation. Although financial statements provide valuable information about tangible assets and financial capital, increasingly investors are interested in how companies also manage sustainability issues that affect long-term value.

SASB standards and tools enable businesses around the world to identify and manage financially-material sustainability issues and communicate on these issues to investors.

Companies using SASB standards can benefit from greater transparency, better risk management, improved long-term performance and a stronger, more valuable brand.

How Companies are Using SASB Today

Bloomberg L.P. shares key takeaways from its implementation of SASB standards.

Bloomberg L.P. was the first company to disclose sustainability data using the provisional SASB standards. As a private company, Bloomberg has no public shareholders but chose to report SASB standards as a means to increase transparency and encourage other companies to do the same. As part of its 2014 Impact Report, Bloomberg reported SASB metrics for the Technology & Communications and Services sectors it considered material to its business.

Gap Inc. sees the value in the SASB standards, particularly as a way to communicate more effectively with investors about its sustainability programs and performance. As Victor Wong, Director of Sustainability described “We want to encourage dialogue with investors about how our products and practices can contribute to a more resilient future for Gap Inc., as well as for our customers and the communities in which we operate.” Access the full case study to learn more.

At the urging of shareholders, Medtronic has worked to continuously improve its sustainability reporting since 2008. That improvement took a leap forward in 2015, when Medtronic began to incorporate the SASB standards. SASB’s investor-centered approach seemed like a perfect fit, says Ginny Cassidy, Director of Medtronic’s Enterprise Sustainability Program. When the company’s own materiality assessment aligned “very closely” with the SASB standard, Cassidy says, “that was validation for us that this was the direction we needed to be moving in.” Read more from Medtronic on how they are unlocking the value of SASB standards.

NRG’s sustainable business strategy focuses on taking an industry-leading role in transparency and disclosure, which helped the company move forward more effectively and efficiently on its path toward implementing the SASB standards in 2016. See how NRG unlocks the value of SASB standards in this thought-provoking case study and watch NRG and SASB discuss ESG disclosure at the Intercontinental Exchange.