Sustainability Assurance

This book provides the first comprehensive exploration of the development, content, and significance of ISSA 5000, the groundbreaking sustainability assurance standard issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB). Comprising two parts, it offers both practical guidance and deep research insight.

Practitioners face fragmented standards, inconsistent practices, and uncertainty about regulatory expectations for sustainability assurance. Backed by rigorous cutting-edge research, practitioner insights, and the experiences of those directly involved in the standard’s drafting, the book offers a rich analysis of the global demand for sustainability assurance and the technical, ethical, and procedural principles underpinning the new standard. It addresses the challenges faced by practitioners by:

• clarifying the preconditions, ethical requirements, and risk-based methodology embedded in ISSA 5000;
• explaining the principles which guide the collection of sufficient appropriate assurance evidence;
• offering insights into experiences with sustainability assurance from case jurisdictions in the developed and developing world; and
• providing context on how regulators, investors, and markets are likely to interpret and rely on assured sustainability information.

Through explaining ISSA 5000’s risk-based model, engagement preconditions, evidence-gathering approach, and reporting requirements in clear, non-technical terms, this volume equips academics, practitioners, regulators, and other stakeholders to navigate a rapidly evolving landscape.

Warren Maroun is Professor of Accounting and Auditing at Leeds University Business School, UK, and the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Before joining academia, Warren served in different capacities at PricewaterhouseCoopers in South Africa (PwC). Warren consults widely on a range of accounting, assurance and sustainability-related matters including the provision of expert services in arbitration proceedings.

Jill Atkins is Professor of Accounting and Finance at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, UK and University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and is a global authority on sustainable and extinction accounting. She is the author of several books.

Martina Macpherson is an international sustainability and regulatory expert with 20+ years in sustainable finance. Martina has held a number of ESG and innovation leadership roles including Head of ESG Index Products at S&P DJI, Managing Director of Sustainable Investments Partners Ltd., and Vice President of ESG Solutions at MSCI. She has been working in the ESG, index and asset management industry for almost 20 years and has been a member of multiple sustainable finance associations and policy working groups in UK, EU and at an international level.