Thailand launches mandatory ISSB-aligned sustainability reporting for public companies

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🗞️ Driving the news: Thailand is introducing mandatory sustainability and climate-related reporting aligned with the IFRS Foundation's International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards for listed companies and investment entities
• The requirements will be phased in from 2028, covering the 2027 reporting year, with full implementation across the covered groups by 2031

🔭 The context: Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission has required listed companies to disclose ESG performance, governance, human rights and greenhouse gas emissions since 2022, but companies could choose among different reporting frameworks
• The move to ISSB standards aims to improve international alignment and make corporate sustainability information more consistent and comparable
• The rollout begins with the 50 largest companies on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET50) in 2028, followed by SET100 companies in 2029, all other SET-listed companies in 2030, and companies on the mai exchange and specified investment entities thereafter
• The rules also require greenhouse gas emissions disclosures to be verified by assurance providers under internationally accepted standards

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Standardised climate disclosures can help investors compare companies' climate risks, emissions and transition strategies, improving transparency and accountability
• However, initial exemptions from Scope 3 emissions reporting mean that important value-chain impacts may remain outside mandatory disclosures during the transition period

⏭️ What’s next: Companies would need to strengthen sustainability data systems, reporting processes and emissions measurement capabilities ahead of their respective deadlines
• Transitional reliefs — including exemptions from first-year comparative information and initial Scope 3 reporting — are intended to ease implementation while organisations build capacity

📈 One stat: More than 45 jurisdictions have started the process of adopting or using the ISSB's sustainability and climate disclosure standards, signalling growing global convergence around corporate reporting.

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