The Best Sustainability Reporting Tips from Around the Internet

Since it's the season for publishing sustainability reports, we thought this 2012 blog post would come in handy again. Here are some tips, mistakes, and misconceptions about sustainability reporting from a wide variety of resources.. We've compiled the best of those lists right here for easy reference. Enjoy!

 

From Greenbiz, Are Companies Missing Out on a Sustainability Goldmine? (tips for mining that "gold")

  1. Keep your company's mission and strategy at the top of mind. 
  2. Find points of intersection: Which factors might impact your financials significantly in the short term or long term?
  3. Consider the ripple effect throughout your company's supply chain.
  4. Ponder which international standards or agreements might hold sway.
  5. Pay attention to what outside expert communities are telling you.
  6. Ask this question: Is there a social impact?

From BSR, Top Five Reporting Mistakes (an unofficial list) 

  1. Starting too late
  2. Following an ad hoc signoff process
  3. Using the tactical over the strategic
  4. Failing to connect the quantitative indicators and qualitative narrative
  5. Focusing on internal audiences at the expense of external readers

From Sustainable Business Forum, 7 Material Issues for the GRI to Consider

  1. The impact of sustainability reporting - how many companies report?
  2. The outcome of sustainability reporting - does it make a difference?
  3. The quality of sustainability reporting
  4. Use of the Application Levels
  5. The role of assurance
  6. The GRI relationships with financial services stakeholders
  7. The GRI's management of its operations in a social and environmentally responsible manner

From AccountAbility, Top Five Misconceptions About GRI Reporting

  1. A GRI “A” level means leadership.
    A GRI “plus” (+) signifies a rigorous assurance process
  2. Reporting on as many indicators as possible is the main goal of GRI reporting
  3. GRI presents a full framework for sustainability communications
  4. GRI is the best tool for measuring impact

From Sustainable Business Forum, Selling a CSR Report: How to Craft the Perfect Pitch

  1. Pitch it as a Starting Point
  2. Pitch it as a Learning Exercise
  3. Pitch it as an Engagement Tool
  4. Pitch it as a Competitive Edge
  5. Pitch it is a Celebratory Exercise

And don’t forget that Strategic Sustainability Consulting offers a wealth of information on topics just like this through our website resources.

4 Tips for Getting Closer to Zero Waste

Here is a 2012 blog post from when we attended the 2degrees webinar “Beyond the Bin: From recycling to zero waste.” We think that the advice is worth sharing a second time around! Check out the tips and add your own suggestions in the comments below:

1.  Choose “single stream” – by allowing employees to sort recyclable material into a single receptacle, you can expect to see an increase in recycling of up to 50%. Make it easy for employees, and they’re more likely to participate!

2.  When crafting a zero-landfill strategy, don’t just focus on recycling. Be sure to include options like: closed loop solutions (reuse), composting, and supply chain management.  Remaining materials that can’t be recycled or reused can be converted to energy through conversion technologies: waste to energy, plasma gasification, and anaerobic digestion.

3.  When designing new facilities, be sure to think about waste conveyance design. Make sure you consider the following:

  • Internal areas for collection, storage, and separation of materials
  • External space for multiple container sizes and service areas
  • Design for ease of use

4.  To improve recycling in existing buildings, review the following items to make sure you’ve covered your bases:

    • Signage
    • Bin size
    • Bin type
    • Tenant education, key component to gain buy-in maybe have a kick-off meeting and continuous reminders with metrics and goals
    • Space constraints
    • Service area

      If your organization wants to get a better handle on its waste, a great first step is conducting a waste audit. We’ve developed a toolkit (webinar, guidance, and templates) all around How to Conduct a Waste Audit. If you find that your team doesn’t have the gumption to sort through all that trash, contact us to arrange a waste audit done by sustainability professionals!

      Tips for Managing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Supply Chain – Part 2

      By: Alexandra Kueller

      Last week, we published a blog post that highlighted some of the ways to help get your supplier to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions based on a report that BSR produced. The focus on part 1 was where to start when trying to reduce GHGs; this week, part 2 will focus on moving forward with your supplier.

      Once you establish that you not only are committed to reducing GHGs in the supply chain, but also can provide the direction to do so, then it’s time for you to start looking to the future and think of ways you can move forward with your suppliers. The two points below – Reward the Suppliers and Build the Market – are key ways that you can improve GHG emissions in your supply chain:

      Reward the Suppliers

      What happens when you have suppliers that want to reduce GHG emissions, but the right incentives aren't there? Maybe it’s time to start considering potential incentive programs, such as rewarding suppliers for investment and performance in GHG reduction. Providing that extra motivation for suppliers might be the key to allowing reductions to soar.

      One such way is connecting the suppliers to the benefits of GHG reductions. Sometimes the cost savings of reduction (IKEA and Dell are just two of the many companies that take this route) or potential government incentives are not as apparent right away and you might have to show the supplier their options to help motivate them.

      Another way to keep your suppliers engaged is by rewarding them directly from your business. BSR lists some possible ways to reward your suppliers – both in financial and non-financial ways:

      • Sponsor energy efficiency audits, training, and project planning for the suppliers who are willing to commit
      • Initiate a pilot project with a leading supplier and provide support throughout – this can be later used as an example for other suppliers
      • Get your public relations team involved and generate publicity through news articles to help make the supplier more visible to other potential clients
      • Integrate energy metrics and scorecards in procurement conversations with suppliers

      Build the Market

      While you might have the plans and the direction of where your company is going, sometimes efficiency services are still developing in many regions and long-term GHG reduction projects face many barriers. By helping build that market through partnerships, you can help create an opportunity to allow future emissions reduction projects to flourish.

      Some of the ways to help build the reductions market is by making the most of existing opportunities and by engaging in industry collaborations. While a region might still be developing the GHG reductions market, as a buyer you can look to see what expertise, information systems, and financing is already in place in those regions.

      Ways Forward

      It’s never too early to start looking ahead. Here are some ideas to keep in mind as your company moves forward:

      • Research will help shed light on opportunities with the greatest potential
      • Sharing of your company’s best practices is essential to help engage other companies
      • Continuation of cross-sector partnerships to help to standardize GHG measurement

      If you want to learn more about sustainable supply chains, you can do so by reading our white paper.