Australian firms lead global peers in pledging ongoing emissions reporting
Most Australian organisations intend to continue disclosing their greenhouse gas emissions data, even if political changes were to remove the requirement.
The findings come from Workiva's 2025 Executive Benchmark Survey, which gathered responses from 1,600 global business leaders, including a significant cohort from Australia. The survey reveals that 81 per cent of Australian executives who planned to disclose emissions will do so regardless of local political developments.
Workiva commented that this result indicates "Australian organisations overall are ahead of some of the world's largest economic powers." Australian businesses demonstrate a stronger commitment to emissions transparency compared to their counterparts in the USA, Canada, and Germany, where a larger proportion of organisations indicated no intention to disclose such data.
Specifically, only 17 per cent of Australian organisations said they had no plans to disclose their emissions data, compared to 26 per cent of American, 21 per cent of Canadian, and 27 per cent of German organisations surveyed.
Narain Viswanathan, Country Leader Australia and New Zealand at Workiva, addressed the figures, saying, "That the majority would disclose emissions irrespective of policy is a great outcome, and shows that an understanding of the benefits of emissions reporting is becoming embedded. Reporting climate disclosures should be the default setting for organisations across the country, but reporting is complex: it takes numerous factors to overcome, including improved data management, collaboration, and efficiency enabled by technology."
Mark Mellen, Industry Principal, Sustainability at Workiva, added, "This is a promising finding, and while it may be due to climate disclosure requirements being more imminent than in other countries, it does show Australian organisations overall are ahead of some of the world's largest economic powers. As the survey revealed, some of that remaining reluctance to disclose among organisations may come down to a lack of confidence in the technology required to enable accurate reporting."
The survey also uncovered that confidence in financial data and reporting technology is relatively low among Australian executives. One third (33 per cent) of Australian executives said they do not fully trust their financial data, whereas the global average is 25 per cent. The figure increases when it comes to business reporting technology, with 94 per cent of Australian executives believing their company's technology is inadequate for meeting new climate regulation requirements—markedly higher than the global average of 73 per cent.
Mellen noted, "This could again come down to the imminent nature of climate disclosure regulations compared to other countries; the closer they get, the more pressure they feel. But it's a prime opportunity for those organisations to take a look at upgrading the technologies and tools they can avail of to alleviate that pressure."
The survey further explored attitudes towards the adoption of generative artificial intelligence tools. While 77 per cent of surveyed executives globally think their current approach to generative AI introduces risk, the figure is 94 per cent for Australia. Viswanathan said, "We're still in the relative infancy of AI, and with any new technology there's understandable caution – but this should not cloud the incredible opportunity it presents with regards to its incredible efficiency and ability to provide actionable intelligence. Ultimately it comes down to trust, and if you trust your data you can trust how AI interprets it.
"Those executives across Australia need to look at how they can best upgrade their systems so that they can trust their data and, ultimately, trust the new tools available to them to make the most of it."
Despite these concerns about data and reporting systems, the survey found strong recognition of the benefits of integrated reporting. Ninety-seven per cent of Australian executives agreed that combining financial and sustainability data helps identify performance gaps and supports financial growth, matching the global average.
In alignment with these views, 94 per cent of Australian organisations currently integrate reporting, with another 5 per cent planning to do so within a year.
Jane Diplock AO, Supervisory Board Member for the World Benchmarking Alliance and GRI, as well as a lawyer and economist, said, "In a rapidly changing world, businesses that can effectively integrate finance, sustainability, and investor relations are better positioned to thrive. Investors are now focusing on companies that not only deliver solid financial returns, but also who correctly assess risks and opportunities, and positively contribute to society and the environment. Companies that embrace this integrated approach will likely benefit from stronger investor confidence, a more loyal customer base, and enhanced resilience to future risks."
Mellen added, "As executives across Australia further embrace sustainability as a profitability driver, they understand that ESG initiatives can deliver both environmental and financial benefits. In doing so, their organisations are able to make environmentally friendly decisions while significantly improving operational efficiency and cutting down costs."
