FRC statement on the Government’s Green Finance Strategy

2 Jul 2019 10:03 AM

The Government has announced its Green Finance Strategy which recognises the role of the financial sector in delivering global and domestic climate and environmental objectives.

In response, the FRC has issued a joint statement with other financial regulators, including the PRA, FCA and the TPR which can be viewed here, while the FRC's statement is below. 

The Boards of UK companies have a responsibility to consider their impact on the environment and the likely consequences of any business decisions in the long-term. They should therefore address, and where relevant report on, the effects of climate change (both direct and indirect).  Reporting should set out how the company has taken into account the resilience of the company’s business model and its risks, uncertainties and viability in both the immediate and longer-term in light of climate change. Companies should also reflect the current or future impacts of climate change on their financial position, for example in the valuation of their assets, assumptions used in impairment testing, depreciation rates, decommissioning, restoration and other similar liabilities and financial risk disclosures.

The FRC assists companies, their Boards and investors to fulfil their responsibilities as follows: 

• The new UK Stewardship Code will require investors to integrate stewardship and investment, taking into account material environmental, social and governance issues, including climate change.
• The updated UK Corporate Governance Code requires Boards to discuss how the matters (including environment matters) set out in section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 have been considered by the company and report on how opportunities and risk to the future success of the business have been considered and addressed.
• The Strategic Report requires companies to report on their principal risks and environmental matters when material. The FRC’s Guidance on the Strategic Report has been updated to encourage better reporting on non-financial matters and the requirement for companies to report on the responsibilities of directors under s.172 of the Companies Act, that includes how they have regard to the environment in their business operations.
• Through the Joint Forum on Actuarial Regulation, the FRC highlights the risks to high quality actuarial work arising from climate change in the annual Risk Perspective.

The FRC will monitor how companies and their advisers fulfil their responsibilities as follows:

• The FRC will continue to review whether companies are complying with the statutory disclosure requirements of the strategic report (which includes reporting on principal risks and uncertainties) as well as any financial statement implications of climate change
• The FRC’s audit monitoring will include consideration of the adequacy of the auditors’ work on principal risk disclosures, including climate risk and the financial statement implications of climate change.

The FRC’s Financial Reporting Lab will provide practical guidance later this year on how companies can best consider and report on climate related risk and opportunities.  The FRC’s project on the Future of Corporate Reporting will also consider the need for improved non-financial/sustainability information from companies.

The FRC will itself be publishing a climate adaptation report under the Climate Change Act.