Following a public consultation closed this summer, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) is discussing in September the results of the input received on their draft proposals for climate and general sustainability standards.
Following a public consultation closed this summer, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) is discussing in September the results of the input received on their draft proposals for climate and general sustainability standards.
Frank Bold, together with leading expert organisations, has published a statement in which they are calling the ISSB to:
The signatories welcome all developments working towards the standardisation of mandatory corporate sustainability reporting and recognise the importance of cooperation and compatibility, while noting it should not come at the expense of the ambition and implementation of distinct standards. The ISSB is expected to review feedback from the consultation and issue new standards by the end of the year.
Other important voices have raised similar concerns, such as The UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance calling for net-zero disclosures and information on the degree of alignment with the Paris Agreement 1.5°C scenario. A joint statement by UN institutions, agencies, and associated organisations highlighted the need for “a holistic and forward-looking approach to sustainability management and disclosure”. The European Central Bank has also directly stressed that “to meet users’ expectations – any international standard should require companies to disclose not only issues that influence enterprise value, but also information on the company’s broader environmental and social impact” and reiterates the view that any international standard should cover all aspects of sustainability.
List of signatories:
Anti-Slavery International, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, ECOS, Environmental Defense Fund Europe, Economy for the Common Good, Fair Trade Advocacy Office, Frank Bold, Global Witness, Oxfam, Publish What You Pay, ShareAction, Shift, SOMO, Transport & Environment, WalkFree, WWF
In mid-December, the European Commission acknowledged a large part of the arguments put forward by the Czechia in an effort to prevent the expansion and continuation of illegal mining at the Turów mine in Poland, that endangers the sources of drinking water for thousands of people in the Liberec region and, according to new studies, has serious impacts on groundwater in Germany as well. Frank Bold's lawyers, who defend the interests of Czech citizens, have long been involved in the case.
The Frank Bold Society and the Neighbourhood Association Uhelná called on the Czech government today to be more consistent in its negotiations with Poland over mining at the Turów brown coal mine. According to both organisations, the government did not have enough information or time to prepare an agreement that would truly protect Czech interests. Moreover, the government has acted in a non-transparent manner by failing to inform the public in advance of the terms of the agreement being prepared, which should lead to the withdrawal of the action against Poland at the EU Court of Justice. The organisations have therefore drawn up a document with seven basic demands on which the Czech side should insist.
The European Commission recently introduced a draft of the revised EU ETS Directive which, among other things, proposes that 100 % of ETS revenues should be used for environmental measures. We welcome this idea but we’re also sceptical about how the ETS revenues are used in the Czech Republic. Therefore, we have prepared an analysis mapping the use of ETS revenues in Czech Republic and sent it to the European Commission as an input for the recent public consultation. The main conclusions are presented below.
