More than two-thirds of the Fortune Global 500
companies publish some form of sustainability or corporate
responsibility report, according to research by Ernst & Young
US (E&Y).

E&Y said that while more companies are
reporting on sustainability and corporate governance issues,
management still needs to take greater interest in how the reports
can be used to identify opportunities and risks.

The firm has come up with seven questions it
believes management teams should ask to understand how
sustainability reporting impacts upon their organisations. These
are:

  • Who issues sustainability reports?
  • Why report on sustainability if you don’t
    have to?
  • What information should a sustainability
    report contain?
  • What governance, systems and processes are
    needed to report on sustainability?
  • Do sustainability reports have to be
    audited?
  • What are the challenges and risks of
    reporting?
  • How can companies get the most value out of
    sustainability reporting?