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Sustainability Reporting Trends in North America
Which are the Sectors widely Reporting and what are the Guidelines mostly used
Sustainability Reporting Trends in North America
Which are the Sectors widely Reporting and what are the Guidelines mostly used
Published 01-11-16
Submitted by Centre for Sustainability & Excellence (CSE)
The latest CSE research focuses on the sustainability reporting trends of companies and organizations in North America, on the use of specific reporting standards and guidelines, and on the external assurance practices mostly followed.
This research was conducted by analyzing more than 400 unique sustainability reports in US and Canada that have been published in 2014. These reports were published by companies and organizations of all sizes (Large, Multinational and Small-Medium Enterprises) and belong to a variety of sectors. Financial Sector, Energy & Energy Utilities and Mining are the top three reporting sectors.
Major trends for Reporting have been identified and among them are the following :
There is a clearly visible trend of public (listed companies) to publish sustainability reports in order to disclose information and be transparent about their sustainability performance. The vast majority (82%) of the companies that published a sustainability report in 2014 are public (listed) companies. Overal more than 1000 Reports are expected to be published in North America in the next two years.
There is a growing trend for Small-Medium Enterprises to publish sustainability reports in order to increase their transparency, attract customers and grow their business. The number of SME’s which publish sustainability reports is expected to grow in the following years.
The reporting guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) remain the most widely used reporting guidelines for conducting sustainability reports. Suprisingly, there are still large brands which do not use GRI or other guidelines.
The percentage of companies and organizations in North America that seek external assurance remains well below the global average, raising questions about the level of transparency and credibility of the data disclosed.
The full version of the research will be presented for the very first time in CSE's upcoming Advanced Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Training (IEMA Approved) in Houston, Texas (March 24th) and Toronto, Canada (Apr 14th), and will be provided complimentary with all the Online Certified Sustainability Programs through CSE's Sustainability Academy Initiative.
If you wish to learn more about the research or our upcoming training workshops you can contact us at:
T: 3122146464
CSE is a global Sustainability (CSR) strategic consulting and training organization providing in-house and open trainings that meet the needs and requirements of every industry and the business activities of every organization, as an Approved Course and Training Organization under the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). In this way, since CSE’s establishment in 2004, it has trained more than 5000 high profile professionals from 28 countries and 5 continents and leading companies, including NASA, Walmart, Unilever, ABM, Lockheed Martin, Thomson Reuters, Baker Hughes, Noble Energy, United Airlines, Coca Cola, LBG, BP, University of Wisconsin, and Heineken Group.
Centre for Sustainability & Excellence (CSE)
Centre for Sustainability & Excellence (CSE)
CSE is a global Leading network providing Sustainable Development Solutions to organizations & a Think Tank with offices in Brussels Athens & Dubai. CSE cooperates with international organisations, such as the EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management), GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), UN Global Compact (United Nations Global Compact), EBEN (European Business Ethics Network), Forum for International Communications and the European Commission. CSE supports, on their journey towards sustainability, leading organizations such as Lloyds TSB, Eurocontrol, Dell, BP, DHL, Lafarge (Aget Heracles), Mc Cain, Bank of Cyprus and many others including the European Investment Bank, the largest financial Investment Institution of the European Union and the Government of Dubai (Dubai Center for Corporate Values ,DIFC, TECOM, DAFZA). The global presence of CSE is enhanced by numerous activities carried out in many countries/regions including the United Kingdom, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Russia, China and the Middle East.
