AA1000 Assurance Standard (2008)
| AA1000AS (2008) assurance provides a comprehensive way of holding an organisation to account for its management, performance and reporting on sustainability issues by evaluating the adherence of an organisation to the AccountAbility Principles and the reliability of associated performance information. |
The AA1000 Assurance Standard supports the AA1000 Assurance Principle of Responsiveness, which requires public disclosure. Assurance provides an independent view on the credibility of public disclosure. AA1000AS is compatible with the methodology of ISAE 3000, the financial accounting body standard for providing assurance on non-financial matters.
The AA1000 Assurance Standard is supported by:
Mandatory licensing of providers for quality control
CSAP for the certification of providers
Certified training
A public register of providers and assured reports
A wide range of guidance documents
The AA1000AS is unique as it requires the assurance provider to evaluate the extent of adherence to a set of principles rather than simply assessing the reliability of the data. AA1000AS (2008) requires the assurance provider to look at underlying management approaches, systems and processes and how stakeholders have participated. Using AA1000AS, the assurance provider evaluates the nature and extent to which an organisation adheres to the AccountAbility Principles.
AA1000AS delivers a rigorous process that adds value to both the company and external stakeholders. The AAA100AS) is a principles-based standard that provides a rigorous framework for sustainability assurance while at the same time providing enough flexibility to adapt to the context of the individual organisation. It provides findings and conclusions on the current status of an organisation's sustainability performance and provides recommendations to encourage continuous improvement. It is not a certification standard which leads to a pass or fail, and so can be used by organisations at all stages of maturity as an assurance statement’s findings and conclusions on current status.
Assurance Provider Licensing
Commercial use of the AccountAbility Assurance Standard (AA1000AS) requires a license. All assurance providers who use AA1000AS must pay a licensing fee of £500 for each commercial use and may include the trademarked AccountAbility logo on their statements.
To download a license agreement,click here. For more information, contact Christina Enotiades (Christina@accountability.org) at +44 (0) 20 7549 0400
