If you’re a smaller practice, you may be wondering about the implications of mandatory sustainability assurance on your firm and your clients, and what the practical application of the new International Ethics Standards for Sustainability Assurance (IESSA) will look like. 

To help explain – the Chair of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) Taskforce that developed them, Mark Babington FCA (ICAEW), sat down with host Gillian Bowen when he was in Sydney in February, to explain what smaller firms should know about the value chain, the resources available to help accountants and the opportunities this journey toward sustainability assurance can present. 

Mark, who’s also the Executive Director of Regulatory Standards at the UK Financial Reporting Council, encouraged accountants to take up the opportunity to shape methodology and practice, in this important time of generational change. 

Resources referred to in the episode: 

• IESBA: 
  • Basis for conclusions - IESSA
  • Final Standard - IESSA
  • CA ANZ’s submission to the IESBA on the Proposed IESSA
  • IESBA Website
  • Contact IESBA
  • PODCAST: What’s next for ethics and the profession? 

• IAASB Website
• SME sustainability hub
• CA ANZ Sustainable Business page
• Sustainability Tools & Resources
• Sustainability Assurance playbook
• Submissions to the IAASB, AUASB and XRB on sustainability assurance
• Check out the Smaller Practices Centre
• Check out Small Firm, Big Impact on the CA ANZ website