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The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) ranks 10th out of 55 global stock exchanges for the sustainability disclosure reports of Thai listed companies, making it the only Asian stock market to reach the top 10, a substantial jump from the 40th place in 2013, according to the annual research report "Measuring Sustainability Disclosure: Ranking the World’s Stock Exchanges” in 2017 by Corporate Knights.
The research has sought to track the level of disclosure of quantitative sustainability-related information by the world’s large publicly traded companies, reporting that “The Stock Exchange of Thailand continued its progression in the ranking from the 40th spot in 2013 to the tenth place in this year’s ranking, marking the fifth year of uninterrupted progression. Thai-listed large companies were noted for strong all-round performance in terms of disclosure rates, disclosure growth and timeliness.”
SET President Kesara Manchusree stated, “This remarkable achievement reflects the synergy of all the listed companies and all stakeholders in the drive toward sustainability and particularly the professionalism in information disclosure.”
The report also stated that the combination of voluntary reporting guidelines issued by the Thai stock exchange in 2012 followed by mandatory disclosure requirements (Form 56-1) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2014 appeared to have contributed to the continuous rise of SET in the ranking.
Kesara added that Thai bourse always encourages listed companies to keep abreast of sustainability principles, including participating in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) -- which analyzes corporate sustainability and environmental practices -- as well as the Thailand Sustainability Investment (THSI), which focuses on responsible investing in line with environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects. Such information will be useful not only for investors who expect long-term return, but also investors who prefer to invest in listed companies that create positive impact on society and environment. Moreover, SET initiates and organizes the SET Sustainability Awards annually to recognize listed companies with outstanding performance in sustainable development as role models for other companies.
As part of the methodology, the report tracked seven indicators of Thailand’s 92 large listed companies, consisting of 1) rate of employee turnover, 2) energy use; 3) carbon emission (GHG); 4) rate of employee injury; 5) personnel costs; 6) waste generation; and 7) water use.
The world’s top 10 stock exchanges according to the “Measuring Sustainability Disclosure” 2017 report are: Helsinki Stock Exchange, Finland; Stockholm Stock Exchange, Sweden; Euronext Paris, France; London Stock Exchange, England; Oslo Stock Exchange, Norway; Euronext Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Australian Securities Exchange; Copenhagen Stock Exchange, Denmark; Johannesburg Stock Exchange, South Africa; and The Stock Exchange of Thailand.
