Sustainability Reporting: Guidelines for Good Corporate Practice

Through globalisation, large internationally operating corporations have gained economic importance and influence over society. Hence, societal expectations on individual companies to increase the transparency of their economic activities by means of meaningful reporting of their ecological, social and economic impacts are growing.

The common position of companies that they contribute not only to the problem but also to the solution is in principle correct. The ecological and social challenges cannot be mastered via regulation alone. Rather, the innovation potential of companies is essential for achieving energy and resource efficiency and for decreasing environmental impacts. Furthermore, measures to secure safety and health of employees or to better working conditions along the supply chain must be implemented first and foremost through companies.

High priority must be given to the communication of aims, problems and solutions. Ultimately, it is imperative to make management and staff aware of new challenges and to commence dialog with stakeholders. Experience shows that systematic and continuous reporting is particularly useful for pinpointing weaknesses, for promoting learning processes and for initiating new ways of thinking.

In collaboration with future e.V. and the Institute 4 Sustainability, the Borderstep Institut is preparing a brochure for the German Federal Environmental Ministry in which current information will be compiled and made available to the economy. The focus is upon:

• key contents of sustainability reports,
• guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative,
• external control and credibility, and
• requirements on the reporting of non-financial indicators.

Project duration: October 2006 - April 2007

Cooperating partners:
• future e.V.
• Institute 4 Sustainability

Contracting authority:
German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMU)

Contact:
Dr. Jens Clausen
clausen@borderstep.de
clausen@borderstep.de

Publications:
Clausen, Jens; Loew, Thomas; Braun, Sabine; herausgegeben vom BMU (2007): Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung: Empfehlungen für eine gute Unternehmenspraxis, Berlin
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