International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) Readiness Assessment
As global sustainability reporting rapidly converges under the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) framework, organizations must be ready to meet increasing demands for transparency, comparability and financial-grade ESG data. We offer a comprehensive ISSB readiness assessment to help your organization evaluate current disclosures, identify critical gaps and build a strategic roadmap toward full ISSB alignment.
As global sustainability expectations continue to accelerate, investors and stakeholders are placing increasing importance on high-quality, transparent and decision-useful ESG disclosures.
In Hong Kong, the transition is already in motion. The Government has launched a clear roadmap toward full adoption of ISSB standards by 2028, while HKEX is progressively aligning ESG disclosure requirements with ISSB, starting with climate-related disclosures from 2025 and mandatory requirements for large issuers from 2026.
Organizations are expected to move beyond broad sustainability reporting toward consistent, comparable and verifiable disclosures aligned with financial reporting.
- Governance: Strengthens accountability at board and management level
- Strategy: Builds resilient, forward-looking climate and sustainability strategies
- Risk management: Identifies and mitigates operational and supply chain risks
- Metrics and targets: Drives performance tracking, cost efficiency, and continuous improvement
What is an ISSB readiness assessment?
An ISSB readiness assessment is the critical first step in your sustainability journey. It provides a structured evaluation of your existing disclosures against ISSB requirements, focusing on:
- Data availability and quality
- Governance structure and oversight
- Climate and sustainability strategy
- Risk management processes
- Metrics, targets and reporting practices
Beyond compliance, the assessment delivers actionable insights to support the development of a practical roadmap for continuous improvement.
- Organizations with 1–3 years of ISSB or sustainability reporting experience
- Organizations aiming to obtain independent assurance
- Organizations already reporting under other ESG frameworks seeking ISSB alignment
- Accelerate access to capital: Meet investor expectations with transparent, decision-useful disclosures
- Enhance ESG rating and indices performance: Strengthen institutional credibility and market positioning
- Build investor and stakeholder trust: Identify gaps before they impact operations or reputation
- Mitigate ESG and transition risks: Identify gaps before they impact operations or reputation
- Eliminate ESG washing risks: Ensure credible, verifiable disclosures aligned with global standards
- Transform sustainability into brand value: Position your organization as a forward-thinking, responsible leader
- Managing complex Scope 3 value chain emissions data
- Applying financial materiality in sustainability assessments
- Conducting scenario analysis for climate-related risks
- Preparing for independent assurance readiness
The scope of this service includes:
- Reviewing and analysing the latest sustainability or ESG report submitted by the client against ISSB requirements
- Developing and delivering an ISSB readiness assessment checklist in Microsoft Excel format, covering compliance status of assessed content, high-level recommendations for the not-ready items as well as a dashboard and scoring
- Delivering the checklist within 2 - 4 weeks upon receipt of the client’s sustainability report
Service details
- Fee: HK$4,800
- Quota: Limited to 20 companies
- Application deadline: 31 July 2026
An ISSB readiness assessment is an independent evaluation of your latest sustainability report against the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) framework (IFRS S1 and S2). It highlights gaps in data, governance and strategy, enabling you to clearly identify areas that require enhancement.
We offer an “outside-in” perspective backed by over 67 years of sustainability expertise. Our industry-specific knowledge allows us to identify practical improvement areas and provide actionable insights tailored to your operational realities.
Yes. Leading rating agencies such as MSCI and S&P Global are increasingly aligning with ISSB frameworks. By addressing identified gaps, your disclosures become more consistent, transparent, and comparable, supporting potential improvements in ESG ratings.
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Deep expertise and global leadership: With over 67 years of sustainability experience and a global network of experts, SGS delivers proven methodologies and insights.
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Leading by example: SGS demonstrates strong ESG performance, including an AAA rating from MSCI ESG Ratings, reinforcing our credibility as a sustainability partner.
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Industry-specific insights: Our sector specialists understand your operational realities and provide practical, tailored recommendations for your business.
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From compliance to value creation: We translate complex ISSB requirements into clear, actionable business value, supporting both compliance and strategic growth.
