Oecd legal Instruments

VI.A.4. If a company publicly sets a sustainability-related goal or target, the disclosure framework 
should provide that reliable metrics are regularly disclosed in an easily accessible form to allow 
investors to assess the credibility and progress towards meeting the announced goal or target. 
Sustainability-related goals, such as GHG emissions reduction targets or goals established under climate 
transition plans, can affect an investor’s assessment of the value, timing and certainty of a company’s future 
cash flows. These goals may also help a company to attract funding from investors to whom the relevant 
sustainability matters are important. Both from a market efficiency and an investor protection perspective, if 
a company publicly sets a sustainability-related goal or target, the disclosure framework should require 
sufficient disclosure of consistent, comparable and reliable metrics. This would allow investors to assess the 
credibility of the announced goal and management’s progress towards meeting it. The disclosure may 
include, for instance, the definition of interim targets when a long-term goal is announced, annual consistent 
disclosure of relevant sustainability metrics, and possible corrective actions the company intends to take to 
address underperformance against a target. 
VI.A.5. Phasing in of requirements should be considered for annual assurance attestations by an 
independent, competent and qualified attestation service provider in accordance with high quality 
internationally recognised assurance standards in order to provide an external and objective 
assessment of a company’s sustainability-related disclosure. 
Sustainability-related disclosures reviewed by an independent, competent and qualified attestation service 
provider may enhance investors’ confidence in the information disclosed and the possibility to compare 
sustainability-related information between companies. Wherever high quality assurance for all disclosed 
sustainability-related information might not be possible or is too costly, mandatory assessment for the most 
relevant sustainability-related metrics or disclosures, such as GHG emissions, may be considered. However, 
greater convergence of the level of assurance between financial statements and sustainability-related 
disclosures should be the long-term goal.