Acknowledges Importance of Public Confidence in Credibility of Emissions Reporting
The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) today released new International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3410, Assurance Engagements on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Statements. This new standard addresses an increasingly relevant global assurance service in support of reliable emissions reporting, whether for regulatory compliance purposes or undertaken on a voluntary basis to inform investors, consumers, and others.
“Today, there is clear and growing demand for companies to disclose their environmental impacts and initiatives and to report detailed emissions information, often through GHG statements. As this demand increases, public confidence in assured GHG emissions information becomes more significant, if not essential,” said Prof. Arnold Schilder, IAASB chairman. “In promulgating this new standard, the IAASB seeks to enhance the consistency and quality of assurance engagements on GHG information, recognizing the importance to the public interest of decisions being made on the basis of that information.”
New ISAE 3410 addresses practitioners’ responsibilities in identifying, assessing, and responding to risks of material misstatement when engaged to report on GHG statements. It sets out requirements and guidance on the work effort and reporting responsibilities of practitioners for both reasonable and limited assurance engagements, as demand for both is increasingly evident in the marketplace. The ISAE is applicable to a broad range of situations, from emissions from electricity used at a single office, to emissions from complex physical or chemical processes at several facilities across a supply chain.
”ISAE 3410 is a landmark standard in many respects,” noted James Gunn, IAASB technical director. “It responds to societal demands for standards that support quality in assurance services in areas other than financial reporting. It deals with engagements that largely need to be undertaken by a multidisciplinary team, where the assurance practitioner needs to integrate experts—in engineering or environmental science, for example—into various stages of the engagement. Notably, it also covers reporting for both reasonable and limited assurance engagements. It provides illustrative reports with features that distinguish for readers the difference between reasonable and limited assurance engagements, and shows how limited assurance reports may be further tailored to enhance users’ understanding of the assurance obtained.”
About the IAASB
The IAASB develops auditing and assurance standards and guidance for use by all professional accountants under a shared standard-setting process involving the Public Interest Oversight Board, which oversees the activities of the IAASB, and the IAASB Consultative Advisory Group, which provides public interest input into the development of the standards and guidance. The structures and processes that support the operations of the IAASB are facilitated by IFAC.
About IFAC
IFAC is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. IFAC is comprised of 167 members and associates in 127 countries and jurisdictions, representing approximately 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.
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