Les investissements dans les crédits carbone devraient normalement augmenter de pair avec le progrès des technologies propres, la protection et la restauration de la nature, et la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Pourtant, la croissance des marchés volontaires du carbone (MVC) peine à garder le rythme.

While investments in carbon credits have significant potential to boost advancement in clean technology, protect and restore nature, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the burgeoning voluntary carbon market (VCM) has experienced growing pains. Critics and proponents alike have raised concerns about the quality of carbon credits, the integrity of stated emissions reductions and verification, and the appropriate role of credits in corporate net zero planning. The future of the market depends on improving its integrity, and professional accountants can play an important role.

The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), in collaboration with the Edinburgh Group (EG), has launched a pioneering online tool designed to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) maximize the benefits of incorporating sustainability into their strategy and business operations.

Developed specifically for IFAC and EG members to provide to their own members, The Small Business Sustainability Checklist is an interactive tool that provides practical steps to future-proof businesses and boost sustainability practices. It is designed to be tailored by each business according to its industry sector, lifecycle, and products and services. 

The innovative resource uses a simple self-assessment approach to score users’ sustainability initiatives across environmental factors, social responsibility, and governance. It helps users identify risks and opportunities, which can inform a roadmap for improvement.

Lee White, IFAC Chief Executive Officer, said, “This checklist is a practical tool to help small businesses benchmark and track their sustainability efforts, providing the resources and guidance to help them take the first step or make progress from what they’re currently doing.”

In an environment of shifting sustainability regulations worldwide, the straightforward approach of The Small Business Sustainability Checklist arrives at a critical time for small and medium-sized practices looking to support their clients to tackle sustainability-related risks and unlock opportunities.

“This is all about building sustainable futures for both accounting practices and their clients, to face the global standards of today and tomorrow,” White said. 

CA Rajendra Kumar P., Chair of the Edinburgh Group, noted: “As a coalition of sixteen accountancy bodies from across the world that is focused on supporting small- and medium-sized practices and entities, the Edinburgh Group expects this new tool will be hugely beneficial to those who use it.”

Peer-led content to deliver real-world examples

With interactive videos featuring real-world experiences from industry peers, the tool offers users firsthand insights into how fellow professionals are tackling sustainability challenges. By sharing practical strategies and best practices, these industry voices provide valuable context, helping accountants translate sustainability concepts into actionable steps for their own firms and for their clients.

“IFAC’s new tool is more than just a guide to reporting, it’s a resource that fosters best-in-class sustainability practices and helps firms develop advisory services,” said industry leader Sarah Lawrance. “As accountants and small businesses, we have a responsibility to consider our impact on the future, and this tool helps us all take meaningful action, no matter where we are on our journey.”

“This checklist sparks essential conversations between accountants and their clients,” Sarah added. “It empowers accountants to position themselves as sustainability leaders within their firms while also guiding their clients toward their own sustainability goals.”

The tool is now available via IFAC’s website.

About IFAC  

IFAC, by connecting and uniting its members, makes the accountancy profession truly global. IFAC member organizations are champions of integrity and professional quality, and proudly carry their membership as a badge of international recognition. IFAC and its members work together to shape the future of the profession through learning, innovation, a collective voice, and commitment to the public interest.  

About Edinburgh Group

The Edinburgh Group is a coalition of 16 accountancy bodies from across the world, representing over 1.3 million professional accountants. It champions, and provides a forum for the exchange of views on, issues affecting small- and medium-sized practices and small- and medium-sized entities, as well as related issues impacting developing nations and professional accountants in business in the context of the advancement of the accountancy profession internationally.

As jurisdictions around the world commit to strengthening public financial management, the shift from cash to accrual accounting is accelerating. High-quality global public sector accounting standards are essential for enabling transparency and accountability and providing better information for decision-making.  With the increasing adoption of IPSAS Standards, there is a need for tools to help support each stage of implementation, from advocacy to capacity building to training.

In collaboration with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB), IFAC has published a new resource, Implementing International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS): IFAC Tools, a compilation of our resources designed to help governments and public sector entities adopt and implement IPSAS Standards and help Professional Accountancy Organizations (PAOs) advocate for their use.

This new resource compiles IFAC tools that:

• Offer practical implementation guidance through the transition from cash to accrual, tailored to different contexts and reform stages, and;
• Help build capacity and technical knowledge with training materials, templates, and examples.

IFAC Chief Executive Officer Lee White said: “We advocate for global standards, including the IPSAS because global standards lead to better decisions for the benefit of all. We work with the IPSASB to help our members with tools and resources to strengthen public financial management. Our members are trusted partners with governments and support IPSAS adoption and use by building capacity in their jurisdiction.” 

IPSASB Chair Ian Carruthers said: “This compilation brings together the practical tools and guidance that jurisdictions and stakeholders need to move from aspiration to adopting and implementing IPSAS Standards and ultimately help public sector entities to deliver more transparent, accountable, and sustainable public finances.”

About IFAC  

IFAC, by connecting and uniting its members, makes the accountancy profession truly global.    

IFAC member organizations are champions of integrity and professional quality, and proudly carry their membership as a badge of international recognition.    

IFAC and its members work together to shape the future of the profession through learning, innovation, a collective voice, and commitment to the public interest.    

About the IPSASB

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB®) works to strengthen public financial management globally through developing and maintaining accrual-based International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS® Standards), IPSASB Sustainability Reporting Standards (IPSASB SRS™ Standards) and other high-quality financial reporting guidance for use by governments and other public sector entities. It also raises awareness of IPSAS Standards and IPSASB SRS Standards and promotes the adoption and implementation of these to enhance the quality and consistency of practice throughout the world and strengthen the transparency and accountability of public sector finances and sustainable development. The Board receives support from the Asian Development Bank, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada, the New Zealand External Reporting Board, the government of Canada, and The World Bank. The structures and processes that support the operations of the IPSASB are facilitated by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC®). For copyright, trademark, and permissions information, please go to permissions or contact permissions@ifac.org.

As jurisdictions around the world commit to strengthening public financial management, the shift from cash to accrual accounting is accelerating. High-quality global public sector accounting standards are essential for enabling transparency and accountability and providing better information for decision-making. With the increasing adoption of IPSAS Standards, there is a need for tools to help support each stage of implementation, from advocacy to capacity building to training.

In partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Caribbean (ICAC), IFAC has released a timely report emphasizing the critical role of the accountancy profession in accelerating climate resilience and energy transformation across the Caribbean.

Climate Challenges Demand Professional Action

• The percentage of companies engaged in sustainability reporting remained unchanged at 98%
• 73% of companies obtained assurance on at least some of their sustainability disclosures
• Greenhouse gas emissions remain the most widely assured category of sustainability information

Almost 3-in-4 of the largest global companies sought assurance on some aspect of their sustainability disclosures, according to an updated report from the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and AICPA & CIMA. The study marks the fifth annual benchmark that now includes 2023 data.

Seventy-three percent of large companies from G20 countries obtained assurance on their sustainability disclosures in 2023, up from 69 percent the previous year, according to the report, The State of Play: Sustainability Disclosure and Assurance, (Five-Year Trends and Analysis, 2019-2023). Five years ago, that number stood at 51 percent. Most of the assurance then and now is of limited scope.

Audit firms—as opposed to consultants or other service providers—continue to lead (55 percent) in providing assurance on sustainability disclosures by large global companies, with broad variations country to country. Audit firms’ overall share of the market declined from 58 percent in 2022, although there are mitigating factors for the drop, including:

• Consolidation of reports – In the European Union, where audit firms historically provide the majority of sustainability assurance, firms began issuing a single assurance report instead of a series of separate ones, lowering the raw number of reports issued, albeit for  an increased number of assurance clients..
• Consultants and non-audit firm service providers are more likely to issue multiple greenhouse gas-related assurance reports (for example, an average 2.5 assurance reports were generated per company in South Korea during 2023).
• When companies obtain assurance for the first time, they typically focus on greenhouse gas-related information and start by engaging other service providers who specialize in that area.

The report notes the increased use of audit firms over the prior year in several major markets in 2023, including Singapore (+6 percentage points), South Africa (+4), the United Kingdom (+5) and United States (+5). In the latter instance, audit firms’ share of sustainability assurance rose from 23 percent to 28 percent.

“Auditors have extensive education requirements, adhere to strict independence rules and possess a deep and holistic view of an organization’s business, processes and risk profile,” said Susan Coffey, CPA, CGMA, the CEO of public accounting for AICPA & CIMA  “That makes them ideal candidates to perform sustainability assurance engagements, and we’re seeing many boards and audit committees endorsing that view as corporate reporting matures.”

More than three-quarters of companies now report sustainability information with financial disclosures in annual or integrated reports. Organizations that include sustainability information with their annual or integrated reports overwhelmingly use their statutory auditor to provide assurance over those disclosures.

“The largest global companies have responded well to voluntary systems of sustainability reporting and assurance, driven by investor demand,” said IFAC Chief Executive Officer Lee White. “With new global standards in place, regulators now have the toolkits to move from voluntary to mandatory disclosures over time, which we expect will further drive high-quality, consistent and comparable sustainability-related information for the investing public and all stakeholders. IFAC and our members, including AICPA & CIMA, remain committed to supporting this shift—advancing trust, good governance, and global alignment in sustainability disclosure, united in shaping a future where sustainability information earns the same level of trust as financial reporting.”

Among other highlights of the updated study:

• Almost all companies (98 percent) report some information on sustainability. This is unchanged from last year.
• Use of sustainability information in annual reports continues to rise. Some 44 percent of companies included it in their annual report, up from 18 percent five years ago.
• Five jurisdictions had double-digit increases in sustainability assurance in 2023: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and Saudi Arabia.  

About the Study
IFAC and AICPA & CIMA partnered to understand sustainability reporting and assurance practices on a global basis by capturing reports containing environmental, social and governance (ESG) information in 22 jurisdictions. Some 1,400 companies were reviewed—100 from each of the largest six economies, with 50 companies reviewed in the remaining 16 jurisdictions. The current report includes data from 2019-2023. Full methodology is available in the study. 

About AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association), advance the global accounting and finance profession through our work on behalf of 597,000 AICPA and CIMA members, candidates and registrants in 188 countries and territories. Together, we are the worldwide leader on public and management accounting issues through advocacy, support for the CPA license, the CGMA designation and specialized credentials, professional education and thought leadership. We build trust by empowering our members, candidates and registrants with the knowledge and opportunities to be leaders in broadening prosperity for a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient future. 

About the International Federation of Accountants
IFAC, by connecting and uniting its members, makes the accountancy profession truly global.

IFAC member organizations are champions of integrity and professional quality, and proudly carry their membership as a badge of international recognition.

IFAC and its members work together to shape the future of the profession through learning, innovation, a collective voice, and commitment to the public interest.