UK SRS: the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards explained

What the UK SRS are

The UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS) are the UK's framework for sustainability disclosure in mainstream company reporting. There are two standards:

• UK SRS S1 — General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information: the umbrella standard covering governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets for sustainability-related risks and opportunities.
• UK SRS S2 — Climate-related Disclosures: the climate-specific standard, covering climate risk, transition planning and greenhouse gas emissions — including scope 1, 2 and 3.

The government published the final standards on 25 February 2026, alongside its consultation response. They are available for voluntary use by any entity now.

UK SRS vs IFRS S1 and S2

The UK SRS are the UK-endorsed versions of the International Sustainability Standards Board's IFRS S1 and IFRS S2. The government assessed the international standards and adopted them with a small number of UK-specific amendments, so a company reporting under UK SRS is substantially aligned with the global ISSB baseline used by investors worldwide.

Practical consequence: groups with international investors or overseas listings can prepare one ISSB-shaped dataset and satisfy both audiences, rather than running parallel frameworks.

The timeline

The 2027 and 2029 dates are the FCA's proposed approach and depend on its final policy statement — treat them as planning assumptions, not settled law, until the policy statement lands. The government has also signalled future consultation on requirements for large private companies.

Who is affected

• UK-listed companies are first in line under the FCA proposals, starting with climate (S2) disclosures.
• Large private companies are not yet in scope, but the direction of travel is clear — climate-related disclosure requirements have consistently started with listed companies and widened.
• Suppliers and subsidiaries feel it indirectly: in-scope companies must report scope 3 emissions, which means asking their supply chains for emissions data.

How UK SRS relates to SECR, TCFD and ESOS

UK SRS does not replace SECR: SECR remains the statutory annual energy and carbon disclosure in the Directors' Report for large UK companies and LLPs. But the regimes stack:

• SECR gives you the scope 1 and 2 emissions and energy-use foundation — see what SECR requires.
• TCFD-aligned disclosure rules already apply to premium-listed and certain large companies; UK SRS S2 is built on the same four-pillar architecture (governance, strategy, risk management, metrics and targets), so TCFD work carries forward.
• UK SRS S2 extends the emissions ask to scope 3 — the categories most SECR filers have never measured. See our scope 3 emissions guide.
• ESOS stays a separate four-yearly energy audit scheme.

What to do now

1. If you're UK-listed: treat the 1 January 2027 S2 date as your planning assumption. That means a 2026 dry run — gap-assess your TCFD disclosures against S2, and start building scope 3 data collection now, because scope 3 is the long pole.
2. If you're a large private company: nothing is mandatory yet. But your SECR data collection is the foundation — tightening it now (audit-ready scope 1 and 2, an intensity ratio you trust, documented methodology) makes any future UK SRS obligation an extension, not a rebuild.
3. If you supply in-scope companies: expect emissions-data requests. Being able to answer with credible numbers is becoming a commercial advantage, not just compliance.

A vetted specialist can gap-assess where you stand across SECR, TCFD and UK SRS in one pass — speak to a specialist, free and no obligation.