The SEC’s Mandatory Climate Risk Disclosure Plan

Prepare now for future climate-related risk disclosure requirements

U.S. public companies may face a dramatically different regulatory landscape in 2023 if the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopts the rules they proposed in March 2022.

Many legal and regulatory experts expect the SEC to finalize and adopt some version of its initial proposal before the end of 2022 although it is possible the SEC may request another round of comments. The SEC received over 1,300 comments in the first round and may want additional feedback before releasing its final rules.

Despite these variables, the SEC climate disclosure rule is a sign of enforcement changes, considering settled charges by the SEC against an investment company about ESG disclosures, and current charges against a mining company for safety claims made to investors prior to a dam collapse.

Regardless of the SEC’s final timeframe, legal experts also advise companies to start preparing for stricter disclosure requirements and regulatory scrutiny. 

Furthermore, climate-related disclosure requirements are increasing globally with eight jurisdictions — Brazil, the European Union, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Kingdom — either enacting or having already enacted climate-related reporting requirements. 

You will learn the following in this guide:

• The frameworks under consideration by the SEC
• The most common set of non-financial metrics
• The expected requirements based on SEC guidance
• Suggested building blocks to prepare for possible rule changes

UL Solutions 360 Sustainability Essentials can help you organize complex data, keep you in regulatory compliance and demonstrate to your customers that you are serious about protecting the environment. Learn more about our investment-grade sustainability data management system.