The article in the url below presents an important caveat to the growing numbers of companies that are publishing more and more (and supposedly better and better) CSR/sustainability reports:
"Only 128 of the 4,609 largest companies listed on the world's stock exchanges disclose the most basic information on how they meet their responsibilities to society, according to a new report."
In terms of "the most basic information," the report states that:
"… 97% of companies are failing to provide data on the full set of 'first-generation' sustainability indicators – employee turnover, energy, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), injury rate, pay equity, waste and water."
Specifically:
"More than 60% of the world's largest listed companies currently fail to disclose their GHGs, three quarters are not transparent about their water consumption and 88% do not divulge their employee turnover rate."
For the article, these numbers are important because of what they reveal about the companies themselves, rather than the lack of information per se:
"The reason these figures are so important is because there is a direct correlation between transparency and companies taking substantive action to improve their performance."
Additional questions that arise are: If these reports are not being done well, why do firms do them? What value do they see in the process that justifies the expense? Equally importantly, who reads these reports? And, if they are filled with fluff, why do these people pay any attention to the reports?
Take care
David
David Chandler & Bill Werther
Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: http://www.sagepub.com/chandler3e/
Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/
The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: http://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/
97% of companies fail to provide data on key sustainability indicators
By Jo Confino
October 13, 2014
Guardian Sustainable Business
