Sustainability report

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Sustainability reports emerged as a further development of the environmental reports published in the 1990s by companies, but also by public institutions . They represent the activities and achievements of the organizations with regard to sustainable development .

They address the most important topics of sustainability : economy , ecology and social issues (triple bottom line). Alongside the annual report, the sustainability report is an important part of the company's information policy. It is at the same time an instrument of sustainability management and an element of marketing . In the meantime, large companies in all industries in particular publish such reports annually - partly based on the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) . In addition to the GRI guidelines, there are now numerous other standards, such as the ten principles of the UN Global Compact . These standards partially overlap in terms of content, but have different focuses on the various aspects of sustainability. In addition to large global companies, medium-sized companies are now increasingly required to prepare professional sustainability reports. Companies in the supplier industries in particular are required to comply with and document social and ecological standards through declining large corporations.

The sustainability reports record the progress made in the individual areas. In economics , for example, this is the company's orientation towards the future. In terms of ecology - primarily in the manufacturing and processing industries - the sustainable focus on resource efficiency and environmental protection is emphasized. When it comes to social issues, the focus is, for example, on aligning the company with a family-friendly business, supporting employees in difficult personal situations and on social criteria in procurement (e.g. fair trade , measures against child labor in the upstream chain).

Since 2005, sustainability reports from companies have been compared and evaluated in a ranking by the Institute for Ecological Economic Research (IÖW) and future eV . This competition is the continuation of the ranking of environmental reports that was carried out several times between 1994 and 2000. In Switzerland, sustainability reports are judged every two years.

Reasons for sustainability reporting

A sustainability report informs the stakeholders not only about economic but also about ecological and social aspects of the company. It should be noted that interest in this information has been growing for years. It is a possible means of supporting corporate communication.

Legal motives

With the adoption of the German Accounting Standard 20 (DRS 20) in 2012, companies are obliged to report in accordance with HGB 315 (5), sentence 2 in connection with sustainability for the financial years from 2012 if non-financial performance indicators are used internally for control and development under the aspect of sustainability.

In a survey of environmental reporters, the IÖW identified three main reporting motives:

Market-oriented motives

If the company is located in a market segment in which ecological and social aspects play an important purchase criterion, the sustainability report should show a clear market reference. Primarily stimulated by the media, consumers will continue to include the sustainability aspect more and more in their purchasing decisions . Here the environmental report is an opportunity to inform the customer with his sustainable ideas about the actual product and to bind them to them.

Management-oriented motives

The public interest is primarily directed towards large companies. Small and medium-sized businesses tend not to attract the public to this extent. Here the sustainability report can serve to promote your internal social and environmental management. Above all, your own employees should be informed and motivated. However, this is only useful if the aspects of sustainability are to be embedded in the management.

Public-oriented motifs

Sectors in particular, some of which have been under increased public scrutiny for decades, have public-oriented motives. Sectors that have a greater impact on the environment perceive a lack of public trust in their company's environmental protection. The aim of environmental reporting is to achieve credibility and trust for yourself and your products.

Reporting principles

In the case of companies, the sustainability report is intended to help stakeholders to get an idea of ​​the reporting company, its services and all of its activities. All information has to correspond to the truth and strengths and weaknesses of the company should be presented. The entire company should be described in the report and this should be updated at regular intervals (every 3 to 4 years). The aim is to ensure that the contents of the report are true, material, complete and understandable.

Elements of the sustainability report

Key metrics

The most important key figures on sustainability should be presented at the beginning of the report, if possible, in order to enable a quick orientation about trends. A table or some graphics are particularly suitable for this.

Foreword by the company management

The foreword enables the public to see whether and how the company management is committed to sustainability. The reader should be aware of the progress made in this area through specific statements made by management. It makes sense here to present the management's positions on economic, ecological and social aspects.

Profile of the reporting company

The profile gives the public an overview of the company. In addition to the most important products and services, information should be provided about locations, legal form, number of employees, ownership structure and turnover.

Vision and strategy

Although sustainability is itself a vision, the economic, ecological and social aspects are weighted differently depending on the company and sector. Therefore, visions should be communicated that have been specifically developed for the company. Visions and specific goals should also point in the same direction.

Management systems

By showing responsibilities and processes in the management system, the public should recognize how competencies are perceived. In the sustainability report, this concerns both the sub-areas of economic, ecological and social management of the company as well as the difficult area of ​​coordinating strategies and goals and resolving contradictions.

Corporate performance

In addition to reporting on the company's performance in terms of sustainability, the report should also strengthen the company's image. In this way it is possible to present planned strategies and programs that strengthen the strengths and reduce the weaknesses of the company.

format

Sustainability reports are usually implemented as print, PDF or online reports. According to a report by the IÖW, the relevance of printed reports has tended to decline in recent years. The latter are often supplemented or even replaced by companies, some of which are more extensive online reports. Possible advantages of online sustainability reports (as micro websites) include: a. This can be seen in the networking of the content through hyperlinks, interactive features, easy findability via search engines and the statistical evaluability of their use.

literature

  • Ralf Isenmann, Jorge Marx Gómez: Internet-based sustainability reporting. Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-503-10005-7 .
  • Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety: Sustainability reporting: Recommendations for good corporate practice. Berlin 2007
  • Global Reporting Initiative: Sustainable Business: A Guide to Corporate Sustainability Reporting . Ministry of Environment and Transport, Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart 2007.
  • Hessian Ministry for Economics, Transport and State Development and Hessian Technology Foundation (HMWVL / HT Hrsg.): Competitive advantages through active environmental reporting - new opportunities for small and medium-sized companies. Wiesbaden 1999.
  • Institute for Ecological Economic Research (IÖW) / imug Institute for Market - Environment - Society: The Sustainability Report. A guide to the practice of credible communication for sustainable companies. Berlin 2001.
  • E. Schramm: Successfully Communicating Sustainability Performance - A Guide for Drinking Water Supply . ISOE , Frankfurt am Main 2007
  • C. Herzig, S. Schaltegger: Corporate sustainability reporting. In: G. Michelsen, J. Godemann (Ed.): Handbook on Sustainability Communication. 2nd, updated and revised new edition. Munich: Oekom, 2007, pp. 579-593.
  • M. Blanke, J. Godemann, C. Herzig: Internet-based sustainability reporting. An empirical study of the companies in the DAX30. Center for Sustainability Management (CSM) & Institute for Environmental Communication (INFU), Lüneburg 2007. CSM Lüneburg

See also

Risk
report
Opportunity
report Opportunity management Management report Forecast report

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 360report: Supported sustainability standards
  2. ↑ Ö.BU
  3. ↑ German Accounting Standard DRS No. 20, Item 106, Item 111
  4. ↑ Hessian Ministry for Economics, Transport and State Development and Hessian Technology Foundation (HMWVL / HT Hrsg.) 1999.
  5. ↑ See Institute for Ecological Economic Research / imug Institute for Market - Environment - Society, 2001, p. 19.
  6. ↑ See Institute for Ecological Economic Research / imug Institute for Market - Environment - Society, 2001, p. 20.
  7. ↑ See Institute for Ecological Economic Research / imug Institute for Market - Environment - Society, 2001, p. 21.
  8. ↑ See Institute for Ecological Economic Research (IÖW) / future eV, 2017, p. 26.
  9. ↑ Cf. Barrantes, E./Sagmüller, M. (2014): Development status and perspectives of sustainability reporting on the Internet. In: Wagner, R./Lahme, G./Breitbarth, T. (Ed.): CSR and Social Media. Jumper. Pp. 59-75.