ISSB passporting and growing global adoption
Speaking at the 2026 Beijing International Sustainability Conference on 11 May, International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) chair Emmanuel Faber outlined new initiatives and reviewed the ongoing development in global sustainability reporting.
Faber confirmed that the number of jurisdictions adopting or committing to use ISSB Standards has now reached 42, with Peru, Ethiopia and Oman among the most recent to additions. He also announced a new initiative kickstarted within the ISSB’s expanded jurisdictional adopters working, which will be advancing “ISSB passporting.”
The passporting initiative will allow foreign private issuers and subsidiaries of international companies operating in a domestic jurisdiction to report against that jurisdiction’s requirements using the ISSB Standards as originally issued by the ISSB, as opposed to those tailored to the local context. The aim is to reduce complexity for preparers, using the simplest language possible, and to support investor analysis by providing the same consistent language of disclosure across international markets.
Standardised, machine-readable sustainability disclosures depend on a globally coherent set of underlying requirements. The passporting concept is designed to make reporting, and data analysis, simpler and all the more seamless. The ultimate goal is globally intelligible reporting, with the result being powerful ESG data that supports efficient capital allocation.
Read Faber’s speech here.
