Global passport for sustainability disclosures to unlock comparability across borders

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Editor

At last week's IFRS Sustainability Symposium in London the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) launched a new scheme designed to unlock its global vision. With stakeholders from more than 45 jurisdictions in the audience, ISSB Chair Emmanuel Faber announced the expansion of the Jurisdictional Adopters Working Group, an initiative designed to support the ISSB Standards as a "global passport" for sustainability disclosures.

As more jurisdictions mandate sustainability-related reporting, differences in rules and frameworks risk fragmenting the global landscape and reducing data comparability. The ISSB's passporting concept would allow jurisdictions to accept sustainability reports from elsewhere, as long as they are prepared in accordance with the ISSB Standards (at times with minor local adaptations). The results would be increased cross-border efficiencies, broadened global investor access to sustainability data, and lower costs for preparers submitting in multiple jurisdictions.

This scheme comes as over 40 jurisdictions explore adoption or alignment with ISSB Standards, and builds on a newly released Jurisdictional Rationale Guide. The guide unpacks the strategic reasons behind adoption, including enhancing market trust, reducing duplication, and boosting competitiveness across global value chains.

Structured, comparable global sustainability data is key for efficient markets, sustainability related supervision, and growing demand for ESG-aligned investments. Global passporting could accelerate the shift from a patchwork of practices to a connected global ecosystem. But let's not forget: despite all the progress, India remains the only jurisdiction to have mandated digital sustainability disclosures using the ISSB Taxonomy. Just one more step and jurisdictions everywhere can begin to truly unlock the benefits of this data - not just for investor analysis, but also to equip AI (see above!).

Explore the ISSB's guide and tools here.