Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) has announced its endorsement of a new Global Accounting Alliance (GAA) report that calls for stronger integration of sustainability and financial reporting.
CA ANZ helped develop the report, which is the first instalment in the GAA’s three‑part Connectivity in Reporting series.
The reporting series examines how organisations can link financial and sustainability information more closely to improve decision‑making, transparency and long‑term value creation.
The first report features perspectives from ten major accounting bodies, representing more than 1.4 million accountants across 180 countries. It draws on insights from over 30 interviews with participants throughout the reporting ecosystem.
Connected reporting is increasingly viewed as a hallmark of high‑quality information that supports decision‑making, arriving as organisations respond to new climate‑reporting obligations and growing demands from investors, regulators and other stakeholders for clear, consistent and useful data.
CA ANZ chief executive Ainslie van Onselen said organisations could no longer treat financial and sustainability reporting as separate processes.
Van Onselen stated: “Financial information and sustainability information should tell the same story.
Climate‑related risks and opportunities can affect cash flows, asset values, access to capital and long‑term performance.
Organisations that bring these insights together are better placed to explain their strategy, resilience and prospects to investors and other stakeholders.”
The report outlines practical steps organisations can take to better align sustainability‑related and financial information, and details the potential advantages of an integrated reporting approach.
The three‑part GAA series will progress from core concepts and emerging trends to governance issues and implementation guidance for organisations seeking to improve connected reporting.
GAA CEO Jim Knafo commented: “Connectivity is becoming one of the defining features of high‑quality corporate reporting.
As expectations for sustainability‑related information rise, professional accountants can help ensure that reporting is more coherent, reliable and useful.
This series is intended to support the profession in delivering a more connected story about performance, risk and long‑term value.”
