The IFRS just published a great summary of key takeaways from the recent Integrated Thinking and Reporting Conference in Milan:

1. The Integrated Reporting Framework is a powerful tool for aiding companies to adopt IFRS S1 and IFRS S2
2. Integrated thinking helps companies break down silos and strengthen governance
3. Using IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 has benefits for preparers who already publish integrated reports
4. Integrated reports provide a useful location for investor-focused information
5. The Integrated Reporting Framework remains an important resource for the IASB and ISSB
6. The Integrated Reporting stakeholder community is wide and active—we want your participation in our ongoing work

Click here to view the full IFRS post

Please click to view the full videos from the IFRS Integrated Thinking and Reporting conference held recently in Milan (hosted on the IFRS event website). I was proud to represent our U.S. community at the meetings! 

We're pleased to share with you the new Integrated Performance Management (IPM) framework released late last year by AICPA-CIMA and the WBCSD-World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

View the video below to learn about this robust framework that is "a holistic approach to corporate performance management based on the integration of multiple capitals (e.g., natural, social, intellectual) and long-term value creation into decision-making to drive strategic success."

The video features two authors from the AICPA-CIMA:

Peter Spence, FCMA, CGMA, Associate Technical Director

Ken Witt, CPA, CGMA, Associate Technical Director

The follow-up discussion was led by Ken, a long-time supporter and operating committee member of our Integrated Reporting U.S. Community.

CECP is a movement of more than 200+ of the world’s largest companies aimed at empowering long-term business success through positive social impact. CECP has developed an Integrated Long-Term Plan Framework in partnership with institutional investors. The framework facilitates integrated thinking within companies and enables CEOs to tell their long-term value creation story to investors and other stakeholders.

You'll learn about the basics of the framework from Jenna Moore, Manager of ESG and Sustainable Business Insights at CECP and talk about how companies use it internally and externally.

Hear from AEP Chief Sustainability Officer Sandy Nessing about her 17-year journey in her role. Hear about AEP's groundbreaking work over a decade ago to support the birth of the integrated reporting movement and how their reporting has evolved over time.

Learn about opportunities for bringing integrated reporting and thinking to small and middle market companies.

In this program, we heard about the extensive new materials recently published by the ERASMUS+, the European Union program for education and training, focused on small and middle market companies (SME's). Specifically, we'll get a brief intro to three tools specifically designed to suit the needs of this important market segment including:

• An integrated reporting framework
• A guide facilitating its implementation
• A series of learning modules for teaching students and training practitioners

Here are the slides from our presenters:

• Brusati Developments in Sustainability Reporting in Europe 15 12 2022-1.pptx
• INTEREST Project_AndreaSzirmai_20221215-1 - The challenge of capacity building.pptx

For more information, please visit https://www.interest-project.eu/

Our guests were Andrea Szirmai and Luca Brusati, two leaders in the development of these invaluable materials. We'll hear from them and then, as always, open a discussion about applying these approaches in the U.S. small and middle market.

Thanks to long-time member of our operating committee at the Integrated Reporting U.S. Community, Paul Thompson, for his help organizing this program.

Get a perspective on the intersection between the accounting profession and the integrated reporting and thinking movement. Our guest is one of the long-time leaders of this movement, Jeremy Osborn. In his years with the IIRC and VRF, Jeremy was intimately involved in the development of the Integrated Thinking Principles documents. He recently joined the AICPA/CIMA as its Global Head of Sustainability.

For your reference, here are:

• the slides from this program
• IRFS Integrated Thinking home page
• the Integrated Thinking Resource Hub
• announcement about formation of the IRCC - Integrated Reporting and Connectivity Council

Thanks to Jeremy and to IR-US Committee Member Ken Witt for organizing this program!

Learn how Arizona State University students learn Integrated Reporting and Thinking to understand the elements of a sustainable business model. The course, which features multiple capitals as the foundation for developing integrated thinking capacity, received a 2020 Aspen Institute Ideas Worth Teaching award for innovation that transforms business education.

Our speaker:

Dr. Elizabeth Castillo, Assistant Professor of Organizational Leadership, Arizona State University

Dr. Castillo is assistant professor of organizational leadership in the College of Integrative Sciences at Arizona State University and a senior sustainability scientist with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation. She studies social accounting and prosocial leadership as leverage points for creating inclusive, sustainable prosperity. Her research is inspired by two decades of management experience at the San Diego Natural History Museum and Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, a collaboration of 31 arts and culture organizations in San Diego, CA.

Thank you to our guests:  

Ben Kruse, Director - Global ESG Reporting and Insights

Ashley Ord, Manager - Global ESG Reporting and Insights

Thanks to all who participated in our discussion of the IFRS® Sustainability Disclosure Standard General Requirements Exposure Draft. And thanks to Sten White for compiling the report from our rich discussion.

Our response was one of nearly 700 the IFRS received. In our conversation, we touched on key issues of interest to our community including:

3 – Scope

4 – Core Content

5 – Reporting Entity

6 – Connected Information

8 – Materiality

VIEW OUR COMMUNITY’S RESPONSE HERE