ESG Reporting Toolkit
ESG Reporting Toolkit
ESG Reporting Toolkit
MARCH 2022
This toolkit is not meant to inform companies on how to comply with relevant laws. It is being provided to KKR’s portfolio companies for informational
purposes only; it is intended for global use and does not take into account country-specific regulatory requirements. Further, the information and
opinions herein are not and should not be construed as legal advice. Portfolio companies are encouraged to seek legal advice regarding all aspects of
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If you have questions about the toolkit or contents herein, please find relevant contacts listed on the back cover of this document.
Intended for global use and does not Intended for global use and does not
take into account country specific take into account country specific
regulatory requirements. Improve Reporting regulatory requirements.
Improve your company’s ESG reporting
to drive overall ESG management
and performance
Case Studies
• ESG Governance • Framework Alignment • ESG Data & Data Visualization
• Materiality Assessment • Storytelling and Design • Reporting Formats
APPENDIX Appendices 46
• Appendix 1: Summary of Step-by-Step • Appendix 2: Update on KKR’s ESG • Appendix 3: Glossary of Terms
Reporting Guide Data Collection Efforts & Additional Resources
(Edelman) (Accenture)
“It’s also why we ask you to issue reports consistent with the Task Force on
Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD): because we believe these are essential “ESG disclosure is a time stamp to demonstrate where we’ve been, what happened
tools for understanding a company’s ability to adapt for the future.” in our space and why, and to build trust in where we are going.”
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIALAND
ANDPROPRIETARY:
PROPRIETARY:For
ForKKR
KKRportfolio
portfoliocompanies
companiesonly
only 7
Defining ESG and Sustainability
is the practice of measuring, disclosing, and being accountable to internal and external stakeholders for
organizational performance against specific ESG goals and metrics that support sustainable development,
thereby incorporating sustainability into the company’s overall strategy and policies.
Other terms
General Sector-specific
(e.g. real estate)
ESG Reporting
Frameworks
and Standards
Provide guidance for Stakeholder-specific Topic-specific
companies on what (e.g. supply chain) (e.g. environmental and climate)
and how to disclose
ESG information
Corporate Sustainability
ESG Ratings Assessment (CSA)
and Rankings
Evaluate and score
companies’ ESG Passive: Passively leverage public information
(e.g. from ESG reports)
performance using
proprietary methodologies
of Swiss Re Institute survey respondents believe shareholders do not of respondents to an EcoVadis survey take sustainability performance of
100% have enough transparency about a company’s cyber resilience to make
informed investment decisions.
69% suppliers into consideration when selecting new suppliers and renewing
contracts.
1 ESG reporting should be based on a company’s most material issues. Topics here are considered applicable to most companies regardless of sector geography.
2 Data as of November 2021
Momentum behind ESG reporting practices …and also driven by greater expectations and scrutiny
continues to grow… on corporate ESG practices.
92% of S&P500 companies published Sustainability Reports in 2020, Regulators intensify ESG scrutiny as greenwashing explodes
up from 20% in 2011 Bloomberg
G&A Institute
The world inches closer to ’alignment’ on global ESG standards CFOs fall short of meeting investors’ ESG reporting needs
Fortune EY
*Subsequent slides use this maturity scale from ‘minimum’ to ‘advanced’ for illustrative purposes only.
Companies may not be at the same level for all questions or reporting steps. Maturity level for each activity is at the company's discretion.
• Conduct peer • Identify material • Define roles and • Select reporting • Create an overall • Define • Agree on scope
benchmarking issues responsibilities framework message/theme quantitative of assurance
• Review ESG • Set up ESG • Develop report and qualitative
reporting working group outline and data required
requirements content • Collect data
1 Review Reporting Requirements: Consider the key stakeholders for your report. What do they expect from your ESG report?
2 Conduct a Peer Benchmarking Assessment: Understand what approach peers take to ESG disclosure and reporting.
Questions to consider:
• What reporting standards and/or frameworks do they align to?
• What channels do they leverage for reporting (e.g., stand-alone reports, mainstream filings, web-based reports)?
• What ESG issues do they emphasize?
• What ESG performance metrics and indicators do they report on?
Business Environment/Society
Understand your context: Create a visual map of your business
1
processes, key business relationships, and stakeholders.
The most significant impacts a business has on the economy, environment, and people, Identify all potential material ESG topics through peer benchmark,
including positive and negative contributions (GRI). 2
research, and internal and external interviews.
All ESG reporting frameworks see materiality as Prioritize the ESG topics considering:
3
the foundation of credible ESG reporting. • Scale, scope, and likelihood of the ESG topic’s impact to your business.
• Scale, scope, and likelihood of the impact of your business on the ESG topic.
Minimum
• Develop a list of material topics based on SASB.
• Define roles and responsibilities in managing ESG topics, including reporting.
Beginner
• Develop initial list of material topics based on SASB. Engage with stakeholders to refine.
• Start to develop goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) for material topics.
• Develop high-level management plans for material topics.
Example: SASB Sustainability Disclosure Topics
Intermediate
• Overall vision/purpose for your ESG program.
• KPIs in place to track all topics. Set forward-looking goals for priority topics.
• Management plan in place for all material topics.
Advanced
• Company-wide vision with ESG at core.
• Long-term (10 year) and short-term goals (5 year) for priority topics.
• Ensure implementation and compliance with management plans. Example: Mondi Group List of Material Topics Mapped to Value Chain
Sources: Mondi Sustainability Report 2020; SASB Household & Personal Products sector standard
Publishing an ESG report requires input from different business An ESG working group helps to bring these teams together to
functions. ensure all perspectives are represented in the ESG report.
Minimum
Define which team will be responsible for ESG
management, including reporting.
ESG/Sustainability Team
Executive Sponsor/Leadership
Responsibilities:
• Coordinate preparation of ESG Report
Responsibilities: Beginner
• Include a senior leader message
• If companies do not yet have an ESG/ Set up an ESG working group to support
Sustainability team – this responsibility • Approve report outline and list of ESG topics
typically falls to Corporate Communications • Provide buy-in on the overall reporting ESG reporting.
strategy and key messaging
Note: This is an indicative list, functions and responsibilities may differ by company.
Framework Selection
Objective: Select and apply the relevant externally recognized framework to your ESG report
Provides industry-specific guidance on ESG topics Investors • 77 industry-specific standards recommending a • SASB and IR are now complementary resources
and metrics to report. minimum level of ESG topics and KPIs to disclose. under the Value Reporting Foundation and ISSB
(exp. June 2022).
Framework of 17 Global Goals, set up by the UN in 2015 Broad set of stakeholders • 17 goals that companies can contribute to through
as a blueprint for governments, private sector, NGOs, their sustainability strategy.
and individuals to achieve a sustainable future by 2030. • 169 targets that companies can align KPIs with.
A framework for companies to disclose climate-related Investors • 4 pillars for companies to disclose under: • Increasingly adopted by and becomes a mandatory
information. governance, strategy, risk, and metrics. disclosure for some financial institutions, including
stock exchanges.
A framework for reporting company strategy and Investors • Six capitals which companies use and impact upon: • SASB and IR are now complementary resources
performance in a holistic way. financial, intellectual, manufactured, human, under the Value Reporting Foundation and ISSB
social, and natural. (exp. June 2022).
• Value Creation Model shows how companies can
create value across all six capitals.
Note: Further resources for each framework are available in the Appendix.
Framework Selection
Framework • First-time reports may refer • Basic building blocks for ESG reporting: SASB, • Close gaps from previous reports and • In line with 4 of the 5 frameworks
to SASB Sector Standard GRI, and/or SDGs improve disclosures vs. frameworks • More ESG information integrated into
• Include targets for key material topics Annual Reports
• Use sector-specific standards to identify key ESG • Use sector-specific standards to identify key ESG topics for your • Report suggested KPIs for your sector. • Regular refresh of material topics.
topics for your sector. sector. • Use KPIs to set targets. • Follow SASB updates.
• Begin gathering data on KPIs for • Report suggested KPIs for your sector.
your sector.
• Report “with reference to” GRI. Full alignment not expected. • Report “in accordance” with GRI. • Regular refresh of material topics.
• Apply general disclosures as ‘basic’ guide for all companies. • Use topic specific metrics to set targets. • Follow GRI updates.
• Use topic-specific disclosures after your
materiality assessment.
• Map material topics with SDGs. • Align your ESG targets with SDG targets. • Disclose performance against targets in line
with SDG targets.
• Begin TCFD journey (especially for carbon intensive sectors: energy, • Disclose information in line with the four TCFD • Improve details of disclosure over time.
transportation, agricultural food + forest products, materials & pillars: governance, strategy, risk, and metrics. • Integration of TCFD into Annual Reporting.
buildings).
• Consideration of the four TCFD pillars.
Note: Indicative guidance only. Framework selection will also depend on external requirements, peer review, and exit strategy.
Content Development
Objective: Define the flow of the report to ensure key requirements are addressed in a logical order
Key Activities
About the • Organization overview (company profile, geographical footprint, corporate structure,
Organization value chain etc.) Examples of Themes:
• Company Vision, Mission, Values
Content Development
Objective: Define the flow of the report to ensure key requirements are addressed in a logical order
Minimum
• Report includes basic components.
Data Collection
Objective: Collect, manage, and present qualitative and quantitative ESG information
Key Activities
List what qualitative and quantitative data is required according to selected Balance
1 Be transparent about risks and challenges, as well as successes
frameworks and opportunities.
2 Identify data that is already being tracked and note where possible gaps may be. Conciseness & Alignment
Prioritize quality over quantity.
Prioritize data collection efforts. Beginners do not need to disclose all data
3
in the first year. Accessibility
Ensure ESG report is easy to navigate for key audiences.
Data Collection
Objective: Focus your report on the most important ESG topics for your business
Beginner
• More extensive ESG data collected and disclosed. Data showing performance highlight in the body
Data showing detailed greenhouse gas emissions footprint
of the report
• Set up a simple internal ESG data
management system.
Intermediate
• Set up a digital internal ESG data
management system to collect data that meets
framework requirements.
• Visualization of ESG performance data.
Advanced
• ESG performance data presented alongside financial Detailed performance data tables in Appendix
data in corporate reporting.
Source: Corporate Register CRRA
Verification
Objective: Evaluate and ensure credibility of ESG data published in ESG report
Minimum
• No data verification expected from The Value of Assurance
early reporters.
It can be challenging to report consistent, reliable,
and complete data, especially in accordance with
reporting frameworks.
Beginner
• Internal audit: Internal function provides an Improving your reporting processes, data Source: WBCSD Reporting Matters
independent review of ESG data. management, and accountability can boost
ESG performance. Majority of ESG reports have some form of verification
Intermediate
• External Limited/Partial Assurance: External
third-party verification of certain ESG data, e.g.,
focus on GHG data.
Advanced
• External Reasonable Assurance: External Source: WBCSD Reporting Matters, p27
third-party verification of report and data in full.
Examples: External Assurance Reports
Consider Identify material Identify key internal Assess reporting Create a report Use reporting No data verification
stakeholder topics using SASB teams needed to be frameworks outline (following framework expected from
requirements and Standards involved in the Identify your key minimum contents to define early reporters
expectations, ESG report audiences for on slide 25) qualitative and Optional: Perform
including stock Set up working the report Agree on key quantitative Internal Audit
exchanges group for ESG messages with data required
Identify any executive sponsor Work with subject
mandatory ESG matter experts to
frameworks or collect data
content to disclose available in Year 1,
Conduct peer and gaps for Year 2
benchmarking
Launch of ESG report ideally aligns with publication of annual financial report – but may be
published up to 6 months later.
Note: Case studies were extracted from publicly available reports and are presented and quoted for educational purposes only.
Result
Company: ERM
Sector: Professional Services
Geography: HQ UK,
global operations
Approach
Result
Company: Posco
Sector: Steel
Geography: HQ South Korea
Approach
Result
Company: LCY
Chemical Corp.
Sector: Chemical
Geography: HQ Taiwan
Approach
Result
Company: LCY
Chemical Corp.
Sector: Chemical
Geography: HQ Taiwan
Approach
Result
Company: Nestlé
Sector: Food + Beverage
Geography: HQ Switzerland
Approach
Result
Company: Upfield
Sector: Food
Geography: HQ Netherlands
Approach
Result
Company: Arnott’s
Sector: Food
Geography: HQ Australia
Approach
Result
Company: Stora Enso
Sector: Pulp + Paper
Geography: HQ Finland
Approach
Approach
Result
Company: CRH
Sector: Industrials
Geography: HQ Ireland
Approach
Company: Vancity
Sector: Financial Services
Geography: HQ Canada
Approach
Company: Vancity
Sector: Financial Services
Geography: HQ Canada
Approach
Company: Verizon
Sector: Telecommunications
Geography: HQ United States
Approach
Source: Corporate Register CR Reporting Awards, Best Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Report, Winner
More information
Minimum Beginner Intermediate Advanced
on page 22
Internal Stakeholder • Define which team will be • Set up an ESG working group to • Establish a team to support ESG • ESG reporting integrated into
Alignment responsible for ESG, including support ESG reporting. reporting and engage with responsibilities of different
Objective: Gather required reporting. different business units. functions.
inputs from different business
teams to prepare the ESG
Report.
More information
Minimum Beginner Intermediate Advanced
on page 27-28
• Prioritize data collection efforts: • More extensive ESG data • Set up a digital internal ESG data • ESG performance data
Data Collection Limited data may be disclosed in collected and disclosed. management system to collect presented alongside financial
Objective: Collect, manage, the first year. • Set up a simple internal ESG data data that meets framework data in corporate reporting.
and present qualitative and • Understand what data is already management system. requirements.
quantitative ESG information. available: Even first time • Visualization of ESG
reporters are likely to have some performance data.
ESG information available.
More information
Minimum Beginner Intermediate Advanced
on page 29
Verification
• No data verification expected • Internal audit: Internal function • External Limited/Partial • External Reasonable Assurance:
Objective: Evaluate and from early reporters. provides an independent review Assurance: External third-party External third-party verification
ensure credibility of ESG data of ESG data. verification of certain ESG data, of report and data in full.
published in ESG report. e.g., focus on GHG Data.
*Survey has been launched across select strategies and will continue to be rolled out across other strategies on a rolling basis.
CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY: For KKR portfolio companies only 49
Appendix 3: Glossary of Terms
General
Acronym Term
Stock Exchanges
Region
NA North America
Other
Paris Agreement A landmark COP – for the first time, a legally binding international treaty was adopted by 196 countries to undertake efforts
(COP 21) to combat climate change. Its goal is to limit global warming to below 2, preferably to 1.5, degrees Celsius.
• Achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced and the amount removed from the
Net Zero atmosphere.
• Further information: WRI ‘What does “Net Zero Emissions” Mean?’
• MSCI ESG Ratings model identifies the ESG risks that are most material to a Global Industry Classification
MSCI ESG Standard (GICS®) sub-industry or sector.
MSCI ESG Ratings
Ratings
• ESG ratings are designed to look at the financial significance of ESG issues.
S&P Global Corporate Sustainability • S&P Corporate Sustainability Assessment is an annual evaluation of companies’ sustainability practices.
S&P Global CSA
Assessment • The assessment focuses on sustainability criteria that are industry-specific and financially material.
• Provides sustainability ratings for companies with a focus on global supply chains.
EcoVadis EcoVadis • The EcoVadis Rating covers a broad range of non-financial management systems including
environmental, labor & human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement impacts.
• GRI provides businesses and other organizations with a global common language to communicate
environmental and social impacts, through a set of reporting standards.
GRI Global Reporting Initiative
• GRI provides universal (general) and industry-specific standards.
• It is the most common framework for disclosing ESG information.
• Merged with SASB to form the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF) in June 2021. In November 2021 the
VRF was brought under the International Sustainability Standards Board (IISB).
International Integrated Reporting
IIRC • Developed the ‘International Integrated Reporting Framework’ and ‘Integrated Thinking Principles’ –
Council
guiding communication on how an organization’s strategy, governance, performance, and prospects lead
to the creation, preservation, or erosion of value over the short, medium, and long term.
• One of the standard-setting boards of the IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) Foundation.
International Sustainability Standards • Created in November 2021 as a consolidation of CDSB and the Value Reporting Foundation.
IISB
Board • ISSB aims to deliver a comprehensive global baseline of high-quality sustainability disclosure standards
that provide investors and other capital market participants the information they need.
• Merged with IIRC to form the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF) in June 2021. In November 2021, the
VRF was brought under the International Sustainability Standards Board (IISB).
Sustainability Accounting Standards • SASB Standards guide the disclosure of financially material sustainability information by companies to
SASB
Board their investors
• Presently available for 77 industries, the Standards identify the subset of environmental, social, and
governance (ESG) issues most relevant to financial performance in each industry.
• The Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a
United Nations Sustainable blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
UN SDG
Development Goals • The SDGs were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 and are intended to be achieved
by the year 2030.
An online platform that offers globally applicable and recognized professional development
https://www.globalreporting.org/reporting-support/gri-
GRI Academy alongside the latest sustainability-related curriculum, including the GRI Professional
academy/
Certification program and online training courses and tutorials.
An online platform that provides a range of guiding documents and publications that can be
Value Reporting
used as reference to corporate reporting, including:
Foundation https://www.valuereportingfoundation.org/resources/r
• Integrated Thinking Principles – guides the board and management planning
Resources esources-overview/
• Integrated Reporting Framework – guidance for corporate reporting
Overview
• SASB Standards – industry-specific disclosures to inform reporting
Sustainable
An ESG Disclosure Guidance Database provided by stock exchanges for listed companies so
Stock Exchange https://sseinitiative.org/esg-guidance-database/
that other stock exchanges can learn from their peers.
Initiative