Regarding the quality of the non-financial reporting, there has been growing recognition worldwide of the need for organizations to provide reliable information related to sustainability. In order to improve the quality of sustainability-related information, several global standards have been issued over the last decades with the main aim of guiding companies to voluntarily disclose non-financial information, both positive and negative.
However, the trend is moving from voluntary reporting to mandatory. In order to issue rigorous reporting standards, new sustainability reporting standard-setting bodies emerged. However, regulations on sustainability reporting are still far from harmonization, but significant advances are expected in the disclosure of non-financial information which will bring important challenges for regulatory bodies, organizations, and professionals in the fields of accounting, management, finance, and auditing. This book discusses the relationship of these fields with sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices and reporting.