5.07.2008 - 06:30pm ET

(CSRwire) AMSTERDAM - May 7, 2008 -The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) today announced the winners of the Readers' Choice Awards for sustainability reporting at the Amsterdam Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency.

The winning reports, as selected by readers in eight categories, were as follows:

Best Report: All Stakeholder Groups
Petrobras (Brazil)

Best Report: Civil Society
Petrobras (Brazil)

Best Report: Media
Gas Natural SDG (Spain)

Best Report: Financial Markets
ABN Amro India (India)

Best Report: Employees
ITC (India)

Best Report: Non-Business Organization
Fundacion Emprendimientos Rurales Los Grobo (Argentina)

Best Report: Not-so-big Business
Frigoglass (Greece)

Best Report: Non-OECD Company
TGC-5 (Russia)

On announcing the GRI Readers Choice Awards, Chief Executive, Ernst Ligteringen said, "People want to know how the companies the buy from, invest in and work for are addressing the pressing issues of today. They are taking note of those who are providing the best information, and rewarding them."

To select the awards, GRI asked readers of sustainability reports, not a small panel of judges, to vote for the best reports based on their needs and preferences. More than 1,700 readers in 70 countries participated in the scoring process. Participants scored 800 reports from 50 countries and evaluated reports based on five criteria:

GRI is delighted by the large number of responses from emerging markets proving sustainability reporting has become a truly global concern.

The readers want to reward companies where economic, environmental and social measures take their place alongside traditional financial ones in corporate reporting.

"It is heartening to us that so many new voices have been heard. They are rightly proud of those companies and groups who are leading with transparency and accountability in their region", said Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel, chair of the Readers Choice Awards Integrity Committee of the Readers' Choice Awards integrity committee and former and Assistant Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).


"The GRI Readers Choice Awards 2008 show that sustainability reporting has made its entrance into mainstream consciousness. This is the future of business," said Mervyn King, Chair of the GRI Board of Directors.


Visit www.globalreporting.org/Awards for further information on the Awards including the scoring methodology.



Notes to editors

1. The Global Reporting Initiative is a global action network that provides guidance on sustainability reporting. The third version of GRI’s reporting guidelines (G3) was released in 2006, following consultation with thousands of stakeholders from across business, investors, labor, accounting, government and not-for-profit sectors. The Guidelines are the de facto global standard in sustainability reporting.
2. GRI commissioned KPMG to assist with the awards process, and worked through with an integrity committee to analyse the results from over 1,700 individuals responses from the around world over a four-month period from October 2007 to January 2008.
3. The portal was available in English, Japanese, French, Portuguese and Spanish, and the awards were promoted by over 80 network partners, in over 70 countries.

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