In light of the extended deadline for listed companies to obtain external limited assurance on their sustainability reports, this landmark study by ISCA, PwC and Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo) examines the current maturity of sustainability reporting among Singapore companies. It assesses organisational preparedness for independent assurance and explores industry understanding of ESG assurance requirements. 

 Singapore-listed companies remain at varied stages of readiness. Some of the study findings include:

1. External assurance over sustainability-related information: 17% of organisations have already obtained external assurance for their sustainability reports. Another 35% of organisations have indicated plans to obtain external assurance, suggesting that many are beginning to prepare for the upcoming mandate. Close to half the organisations (47%) have yet to plan for external assurance, signalling a potential readiness gap and underscoring the need for a clear transition roadmap. 
   
2. Internal reviews over sustainability-related information: 83% of organisations have established formal policies for conducting internal review of their sustainability reporting processes. Among those that have not yet formalised internal review policies, majority are smaller non-STI constituents. When asked who performs the internal review, 60% of organisations indicated that they outsource their internal review process, while 36% conduct reviews internally. 
   
3. Readiness assessments: 45% of organisations have carried out readiness assessment for external assurance, indicating growing awareness of the need to strengthen data credibility ahead of regulatory requirements. While 55% of organisations have yet to carry out a readiness assessment, two-thirds of these organisations expressed that they are planning to conduct a readiness assessment in the future. 
   
4. ESG training: 55% of organisations have incorporated ESG training into their capacity building programmes. Among these, 56% provide training on an ad-hoc basis, while 38% conduct sustainability training annually. However, only 49% of organisations believe that their current training programmes adequately prepare employees to support accurate and comprehensive sustainability reporting.