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Corporate sustainability reporting has undergone a rapid evolution since the first environmental reports appeared in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Many of the early efforts were health and safety reports, modified to take some account of impacts on the external environment.
In the early days there were no accepted standards for corporate reports, which meant that there were wide variations in both the content and the format of the reports produced.
Nowadays, environmental issues have been joined on the agenda by social considerations, and the reporting process has been broadened into an audit of what is loosely termed 'corporate responsibility'.
Companies that have committed themselves to corporate reporting are increasingly following a set of guidelines drawn up under the Global Reporting Initiative, launched in 1997 by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
November 2000 saw the publication of 'The Global Reporters', a survey of 50 corporate reports from around the world, by UK-based consultancy SustainAbility. This identifies eight 'hot topics' common to the reports sampled, and proposes ten ways in which future reports might be improved.
A recent review was undertaken of corporate reporting practices in Canada, based on a sample of 20 company reports. The 'Sustainability Reporting Program' suggests three basic approaches, or 'templates', for reports to follow, namely (i) creating a positive impression; (ii) the business case for sustainable development; and (iii) standardized reporting.
November 2001 saw the publication of 'Stepping Forward', the first in-depth examination of sustainability reporting practices in Canada. To find out more, use the menu on the left.
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