What 2027 is set to bring

In 2027, sustainability disclosure is expected to become mandatory for listed companies in the UK. Most people know that.

What fewer people are talking about is what it means for communications teams.

The UK Sustainability Reporting Standards — UKSRS — are based on the ISSB Standards, the global framework developed to bring rigour and consistency to how companies report on sustainability.

The FCA is currently consulting on exactly which companies fall within scope.

The direction of travel is clear. This is not just a job for your finance, legal, and sustainability teams.

When mandatory disclosure arrives, what your company says publicly about sustainability will be held to a much higher standard of scrutiny.

Investors, journalists, and regulators will compare what is in your disclosure with what your executives say in speeches, what appears on your website, and what your social media communicates.

If those things are not aligned, the gap will be noticed.

On the flip side, if you don't take this moment to really elevate your sustainability narrative, it's a missed opportunity.

Communications teams that understand this now — and start building that alignment ahead of the deadline — will be in a far stronger position than those that treat UKSRS as someone else’s problem.

It is not someone else’s problem. It is one of the most significant communications challenges your organisation will face in the next two years.

And the window to get ahead of it is open right now.