The next steps for the NSRS and establishment of working groups was on the agenda when the NSRS-board had its first meeting.
Recently the Nordic Accounting Federation (NAF) established the NSRS board. Hans Christian Ellefsen (Regnskap Norge) was confirmed to continue as the NSRS chairman. Further, the board members are Christine Lundberg Larsen (ECIT, Norway), Roland Sigbladh (Srf konsulterna, Sweden) and Leonard Breukers (TAL, Finland). Their first meeting was productive and forward thinking.
Next Steps for the NSRS
The NSRS board is focused on the user’s experience when reporting according to the NSRS.
– A standard is not a standard if it’s not used. We encourage reporters to share their experience with us so that we can review and improve the standard based on actual use. The development of the NSRS reporting journey depends on feedback, says Hans Christian Ellefsen.
The NSRS reporting journey is divided into three maturity stages, the NSRS Advancement Levels: Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. In the first version of the NSRS only Level 1 is covered. The NSRS Reporting Requirements are designed to increase for each stage, allowing organisations to start with the very basics of sustainability reporting, and to advance with time. The advancement level is thus determined by an organisation’s sustainability reporting experience and its resource availability.
– As the users advance and increase their competency in sustainability and sustainability reporting, so should the NSRS develop in advancement. The board has decided to discuss NSRS Level 2 this autumn, says Christine Lundberg Larsen.
Experts in Working Groups
The NSRS board’s mission is to develop the standard. It shall do so through strategic discussions and decisions. Its decision-making will be based on input from working groups consisting of experts and practitioners from the Nordic region. There will be one fixed group plus relevant subgroups.
– The working group will receive different tasks from the board. Experts from the working group will gather in subgroups that will solve specific issues. One relevant task is to review NSRS Level 1 and recommend a draft for NSRS Level 2. The board will make its decisions based on the working group’s inputs, explains Hans Christian Ellefsen.
Christine Lundberg Larsen adds that there are several experts waiting to join the working group: – Many experts, both in the accounting industry and in the sustainability sphere, has shown their interest in joining the development of the NSRS. Some are already known to the NSRS project as they participated in the pilot study last spring. We are pleased to see the enthusiasm surrounding the NSRS universe. Together we will make it easier for the SMEs to keep up with the sustainability transition and to stay relevant.
