SIRAN/Social Investment Forum Report Finds Strong Growth in CSR Web
Sites, CSR Reports and Use of Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines
WASHINGTON, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- More than half of the United
States' 100 largest publicly traded companies now report on their
sustainability efforts, and more than a third now incorporate elements of
the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) sustainability reporting guidelines,
according to a report released today by the Sustainable Investment Research
Analyst Network (SIRAN), a working group of the Social Investment Forum
(SIF), and conducted by the independent investment research firm KLD
Research & Analytics, Inc.
The 2008 S&P 100 Sustainability Report Comparison, which evaluates
SIRAN data through the end of 2007, shows a marked increase in
sustainability reporting and use of the GRI by the top U.S. companies since
mid-2005.
Key findings include:
-- 86 of the S&P 100 companies now have corporate sustainability
websites, compared to 58 in mid-2005, an increase of 48 percent;
-- 49 of the leading U.S. companies produced a sustainability report in
2007, an increase of 26 percent from 39 in 2005;
-- 41 now include a reference or references to the GRI standards, up 71
percent from just 24 in 2005; and
-- 34 companies now include a GRI Index in their report, an increase of
70 percent, up from 20 in 2005.
SIRAN's third annual analysis of sustainability reporting by companies
listed on the Standard & Poor U.S. 100 Index is available at
http://www.siran.org/projects_s_and_p_reporting_comparison.php.
Daniel Nielsen, member of the SIRAN Steering Committee and manager of
socially responsible investing for the General Board of Pension and Health
Benefits of The United Methodist Church, said: "The purpose of this study
was to identify the level of corporate sustainability disclosure among the
largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. Sustainability reporting is a
process through which organizations report on extra-financial performance
metrics, covering such areas as the environment, diversity, governance,
human rights, and ethics. The growth of sustainability reporting is an
important indicator of the usefulness with which this information is viewed
by companies, investors, employees, and community members."
"It's encouraging to see continued progress," said Katy Chapdelaine,
senior research analyst at KLD and project manager for the Sustainability
Report Comparison. "Our hope is that this trend continues, and that more
companies realize the full potential of communicating transparently.
Sustainability reporting is an important means through which corporations
can communicate challenges, goals, and progress on issues that are critical
to their industries and stakeholders."
REPORT METHODOLOGY
For the purposes of the SIRAN study, a "sustainability report" was
defined as a report that included data covering three or more areas of
environmental, social, or governance performance. Reports covering a single
topic and reports without performance data and policy statements were not
considered to be complete sustainability reports.
The Sustainability Report Comparison considered six distinct criteria
in its analysis of S&P 100 companies:
-- Is there corporate sustainability information on the company's
website?
-- Was a report issued during the year?
-- Does the company reference the Global Reporting Initiative's (GRI)
"Sustainability Reporting Guidelines"?
-- Does the report contain a content index that follows the GRI
Guidelines?
-- Is the report produced "In Accordance" with the 2002 GRI guidelines
or at the "A" level as defined by the 2006 GRI "G3" guidelines?
-- Does the report include benchmarks and performance goals?
About SIRAN and the social investment forum
The Sustainable Investment Research Analyst Network (SIRAN), a working
group of the Social Investment Forum (SIF), is an analyst network that
supports more than 150 North American social research analysts from 30
investment firms, research providers, and affiliated investor groups. The
Social Investment Forum is the only national membership association in the
US dedicated to advancing the concept, practice, and growth of socially and
environmentally responsible investing (SRI). SIF's membership includes more
than 500 social investment practitioners and institutions. For more
information, see http://www.siran.org and http://www.socialinvest.org.
About KLD Research & Analytics, Inc.
KLD Research & Analytics, Inc. is an independent investment research
firm providing management tools to institutional investors, managers,
trustees, consultants and advisors. Since 1988, professionals worldwide
have used KLD research and indexes to integrate environmental, social, and
governance factors into their clients' investment decisions. KLD products
and services, including SOCRATES (a web-based company research tool), are
used for screening, compliance, and asset gathering. For more information,
see http://www.kld.com.
ABOUT THE GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is an independent institution
that has developed standardized sustainability reporting guidelines with
the active participation of representatives from business, accounting,
investment, environmental, human rights, research, and labor organizations
from around the world. GRI indicators include measures of economic
performance (such as community donations); environmental performance (such
as greenhouse gas emissions and water use); labor practices (such as worker
health and safety and diversity); human rights (such as policies around
child labor and indigenous rights); impact on society (such as community
impacts, bribery, and political contributions); and product responsibility
(such as customer health and safety, advertising, consumer privacy). For
more information, see http://www.globalreporting.org.
|
