Including both financial and non-financial information is known as "integrated reporting" by public companies. Currently the US Securities & Exchange Commission isn’t even allowing voluntary filing of non-financial data to be included with financial reports by public companies
Interesting article in the UK’s Financial Director about yearend non-financial reporting required by UK companies as part of the EU mandate for 6,000 + public company requirement to report non-financial information to the capital markets and important stakeholders such as investors. The UK most now adopt the European Union’s own rules around the reporting on long-term risks and strategies as part of the new EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive
UK and Germany are planned on requiring public companies to issue sustainability reports by yearend
So by now you’re asking yourself ‘what is integrated reporting’?
US public companies are beginning to understand the value of using water in a more sustainable manner and issuing external reports to stakeholders and investors on water consumption and better management using reporting standards such as CDP
1 Comment - I would be interested in how we would report on things like CO2, since there are advantages and disadvantages to rising levels of this gas, as I read recently on how higher carbon dioxide has increased the plant cover of about 11 million square miles
According to the most recent posting by Broc Romanek of CorporateCounsel.net the US SEC is actively moving forward on public company disclosure of sustainability/ corporate social responsibility reporting – also know as “non-financial” – “integrated reporting” -- including disclosing such topics as board diversity. Non-financial reporting, such as sustainability and CSR/ESG reporting has expanded over the last twenty years. Many US public companies now produce an annual sustainability report (independent of the annual financial report) and there are a wide array of ratings and standards around
ESMA states in its disclosed press release that it has concluded that Inline XBRL is the most suitable technology to meet the EU requirement for issuers to report their annual financial reports in a single electronic format because it enables both machine and human readability in one document
Some companies are combining financial reporting with non-financial reporting into ONE REPORT or "Integrated Reporting" to external stakeholders that also includes natural resources and human capital -- beyond just financial information. The CFO in most cases is responsible for this additional reporting by the company
The consultation report explores the trends and challenges that influence the development of sustainable finance in emerging capital markets...The IOSCO Growth and Emerging Markets Committee welcomes comments on the consultation report on or before 1 April 2019
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