SASB Working with Investors to Support Demand for Better Sustainability Disclosure

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board™ (SASB)™, a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides sustainability accounting standards for use by publicly listed corporations in the U.S, today announced a targeted effort to work with investors to support demand for standardized disclosure of material sustainability factors.

A recent global survey of institutional investors found that, during the past 12 months, assessment of performance on ESG issues "played a pivotal role [at least once] in their investment decision-making process" for 90 percent of the responding investors.  However, there is a need to improve the quality and accessibility of information that is available. 89 percent of global institutional investors say they will request sustainability information directly from the company, and 50 percent report they are "very likely" to sponsor or co-sponsor a shareholder proposal related to sustainability issues. These approaches are costly and time-intensive for investors and issuers alike.

To support investors' efforts to access better sustainability disclosure, SASB has created a new position. Janine Guillot, SASB's Director of Capital Markets Policy & Outreach, will liaise with investors, analysts, exchanges, ratings agencies, information brokers, and investor associations to understand their information needs and support market adoption of standardized sustainability disclosures 

Previously, Ms. Guillot served as the Chief Operating Investment Officer for the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS). Ms. Guillot has also held senior leadership positions at Barclays Global Investors and Bank of America.

"Material information is the right of every investor," says Dr. Jean Rogers, SASB Founder & CEO. "We're thrilled to have Janine working with us to improve disclosure effectiveness, reduce questionnaire fatigue and shareholder proposals by integrating sustainability data into the standard system for financial reporting and disclosure."

"I'm pleased to be joining SASB at a pivotal time, when investor interest in sustainability information is dramatically increasing," says Ms. Guillot.  "SASB's research-based approach can ensure investors obtain material, decision-useful information."

SASB standards, tools, and resources can help investors factor in sustainability-related impacts when making decisions, more accurately assess levels of risk and return, and actively engage with companies on key issues. To view SASB's resources for investors, please visit Using SASB.

About SASB

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board™ (SASB)™ is an independent 501(c)3 organization that issues industry-specific standards for use in disclosing material sustainability information in filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP, and Mary Schapiro, former SEC chairman, serve as chair and vice chair of SASB's Board of Directors, and Dr. Jean Rogers serves as Founder and CEO. More than 2,800 individuals representing $23.4T assets under management and $11T market capital have participated in multi-stakeholder industry working groups informing standards development. For more information about SASB, visit www.sasb.org, or follow us on YouTube, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)

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http://www.sasb.org