Supporting the IIRC and SASB merger into the Value Reporting Foundation

DS Smith is supportive of the official announcement of the IIRC and SASB merger to form the Value Reporting Foundation. This merger will help bring more clarity and simplicity to the corporate sustainability reporting ecosystem, helping businesses and investors develop a shared understanding of enterprise value.

In June, The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) officially merged to form the Value Reporting Foundation, providing a comprehensive suite of tools to assess, manage and communicate value.

The Value Reporting Foundation is committed to the delivery of a more coherent global corporate reporting system by working closely with leading framework providers and standard-setters around the world.

"The development is a significant step in the direction of the harmonisation of ESG reporting. There is a jigsaw puzzle of frameworks and standards, and their complexity can be a barrier to quality reporting. The merger presents an opportunity for simplification, which can benefit companies and investors to ensure consistent and comparable communication."

— Oliver Bradley, Sustainability Reporting Manager at DS Smith

In our upcoming DS Smith Sustainability Report 2021, we share the progress we have made on our Now and Next Sustainability Strategy, replacing problem plastics, taking carbon out of supply chains and providing innovative recycling solutions, as we scale up circular solutions for our customers and society.

For the second year running, we implemented the SASB Containers and Packaging industry standard, providing investors with consistent, comparable and reliable information on the ESG factors most relevant to financial performance and value.

"Strong disclosure is crucial for us to demonstrate how our circular business model creates sustainable value as we help our customers accelerate the transition to the circular economy. Integrated reporting and the SASB standards are useful tools for communicating long-term strategy and providing a comprehensive view of performance to investors and others."

— Wouter van Tol, Head of Sustainability, Government and Community Affairs at DS Smith