BANGKOK, The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) has moved
forward to strengthen the Thai capital market’s ecosystem on sustainability by
launching ESG Data Platform which gathers listed companies’ data on the
environment, social and governance (ESG). The ESG Data Platform offers an
end-to-end ESG data management system from listed companies’ data filing to
analytics and distributed ESG data to stakeholders.
The platform features easy-to-use ESG data, which investors can rely on in
combination with their financial analysis of the listed companies. It also
supports the listed companies prepare for an ESG disclosure in accordance to the
Form 56-1 One Report of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other ESG
reporting frameworks, which will pave the way for further business development
and sustainable investment.
In phase 1 of the ESG Data Platform began offering service on October 3, 2022,
the listed companies have been able to submit their ESG data via the SETLink.
Phase 2 will distribute ESG data to the SET public domain including SET website,
settrade website and SETSMART within the second quarter of 2023.
SET President Pakorn Peetathawatchai said that there is a growing demand for ESG
data both at a national and international level. The number of stakeholders,
from investors, customers to the regulatory agencies, have been drastically
increasing in the demands of the ESG disclosure from listed companies to ensure
that entrepreneurs have adapted to maintain their competitiveness, and put in
place risk management and responsibility to stakeholders, society and
environment that is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the
United Nations.
“SET has a strategy to put forward the development of ESG Data Platform, which
represents an innovative infrastructure collaborated with partners in the
capital market. As a result, everyone can have an access to ESG data management
system SET is well aware that a mechanism on information disclosure on ESG will
play a vital role in shaping business development and sustainable investment in
the long haul. It also goes hand in hand with the SET’s vision “To Make the
Capital Market ‘Work’ for Everyone”, said Pakorn.
“So far SET has promoted the listed companies to disclose the ESG data by
providing training and other necessary tools to support them understand and
disclose ESG information as required by the Form 56-1 One Report. In addition,
SET, through its ESG Metrics, has improved the quality of ESG data by conducting
the ESG metrics to measure sustainability in different industries. In so doing,
it has guided the listed companies to have a clear path on how to achieve
sustainability according to their industry group and to make the necessary
preparations to cope with the broader universal standards such as the as the
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and Task Force on Climate-Related
Financial Disclosures (TCFD),” Pakorn added.
One of the prominent features of ESG Data Platform is a design of a full range
of structured data in quantitative term, which stakeholders can comparisons of
different industries or analyze the financial data conveniently. In the first
phase of the ESG Data Platform, SET will gather all the basic ESG data such as
the amount of energy or natural resources consumption, the amount of greenhouse
gas emissions, as well as data related to the employees and the director of the
listed companies before linking the ESG data to the information filing system of
the Form 56-1 One Report.
SET will continue to develop its ESG Data Platform by focusing on the ESG data
that can be used in the practical term, can meet the need of industries while
taking into account the readiness of the listed companies. Also, it plans to use
the ESG data in the assessment such as Thailand Sustainability Investment
(THSI) and the Corporate Governance Report (CGR), to reduce the listed
companies’ burden and the overlapping task in their filing of information.
Source: Stock Exchange of Thailand