The Canadian Sustainability Standards Board (CSSB) has completed its consultation on the International Sustainability Standards Board’s (ISSB) Exposure Draft, “Proposed amendments to the SASB Standards and IFRS S2 Industry-related Guidance.”
We engaged over 130 interested and affected parties across Canada to gather feedback. Based on this input, the CSSB has submitted its response letter to the ISSB ahead of the July 24, 2026,deadline. We thank all respondents for their contributions to advancing sustainability standards in Canada.
Industries in focus
In March 2026, the ISSB released an Exposure Draft proposing amendments to the following three SASB Standards:
- Electric Utilities and Power Generators
- Agricultural Products
- Meat, Poultry and Dairy
These proposals build on the first phase of the ISSB’s SASB Standards enhancement project, which proposed amendments to nine industry standards and aligned specific metrics for five disclosure topics across 41 other industries.
Why this matters to Indigenous People
The CSSB is committed to upholding Indigenous Peoples’ rights in Canada and advocating for their rights, voices, and interests at the international level.
Indigenous Peoples in Canada relate to and are impacted by sustainability disclosure standards in various ways, such as:
- Indigenous Peoples are rightsholders with direct interests and roles in major development projects in Canada;
- Indigenous rightsholders are business leaders and investors in capital markets, and may use sustainability disclosure information to inform partnership and investment decisions; and
- Indigenous rightsholders are land stewards, academics, legal professionals, and knowledge keepers, providing a wide range of subject-matter expertise on Indigenous rights and sustainability and may have an interest in sustainability disclosure data for research.
Indigenous matters in SASB Standards:
The ISSB proposes the following amendments to disclosure topics and metrics that directly relate to Indigenous Peoples:
- The ISSB proposes to introduce the disclosure topic “Community Relations & Rights of Indigenous Peoples” to the Electric Utilities and Power Generators industry standard. Many First Nations are shareholders in electric utilities companies that use SASB Standards to disclose sustainability and climate information, including information about Indigenous relations.
- The ISSB proposes to introduce the disclosure topic “Social Supply Chain Management” to the Agricultural Products and Meat, Poultry and Dairy industries, which includes a metric related to “processes, controls and procedures for managing labour conditions and impacts on local communities, including Indigenous Peoples, in the supply chain, including human rights due diligence.”
The CSSB recognizes the importance of ensuring Indigenous Peoples inform disclosures that are related to their rights, communities, and wellbeing.
What are SASB Standards?
The SASB Standards are a set of 77 industry-specific disclosure guidelines that help entities identify and disclose financially material sustainability information. This information is used by investors to inform funding decisions. SASB Standards are an important source of guidance within the ISSB Standards, enabling companies to determine sustainability-related risks and opportunities most relevant to their prospects.
Under IFRS S1, the SASB Standards serve as a source of guidance for sustainability-related disclosures beyond climate. Entities are expected to refer to and consider SASB Standards when identifying sustainability-related risks and opportunities and determining what information to disclose. IFRS S2 sets out general requirements for climate-related disclosures but does not prescribe detailed industry-specific metrics. SASB Standards fill this gap by providing industry-based topics and metrics, enabling more relevant, comparable, and decision-useful climate reporting.
In Canada, more than 290 Canadian entities report their sustainability metrics using SASB Standards.
Summary of phase 1, part 1
In July 2025, the ISSB issued two Exposure Drafts:
The proposals included:
- a comprehensive review of nine priority industries (primarily in extractives, minerals processing, and processed foods); and
- alignment of specific metrics across 41 additional industries. covering greenhouse gas emissions, energy management, water management, labour practices, and workforce health and safety.
The CSSB engaged directly with Indigenous Peoples and more than 160 Canadian interested and affected parties that informed its response letters submitted to the ISSB in November 2025. Read the CSSB’s response letters:
The ISSB is currently deliberating feedback on these Exposure Drafts.
What’s next
The CSSB will continue to monitor ISSB’s deliberations and provide updates as new developments occur. The ISSB has signalled that it will enhance the six SASB standards in the Technology & Communications Sustainable Industries Classification System (SICS) sector for Phase 2.
Questions
Please contact Emilly Renaud, Manager of Outreach and Analytics, at [email protected].