Presentation to Masters of Environmental Management Environmental Tools class

1. UNSW Sustainability
Corporate Social Responsibility
Masters of Environmental Management
Environmental Tools: CSR Reporting
Aaron Magner
University of New South Wales

2. Content
Why CSR and Sustainability Reporting matters
Existing sustainability reporting frameworks
Drivers of change in sustainability reporting
Future scenarios for sustainability reporting

3. Why sustainability reporting matters
Sustainability
reporting is:
“…the practice of measuring,
disclosing, and being accountable
to internal and external
stakeholders for organizational
performance towards the goal of
sustainable development.”

4. Why sustainability matters
Historical view
“The social responsibility of business is to
increase the wealth of its shareholders.”
Dr Milton Friedman (1970)
Modern Management Maxim
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
The indicators corporations, regulators and civil
society access and use inform decision-making,
policies, initiatives and ultimately outcomes.

5. Sustainability reporting today
Internationally
95% of top 200 companies
release sustainability reports
In Australia
57% of top 100 companies
release sustainability reports
• ESG and SRI becoming mainstream.
• New environmental tools of measurement
• Mandatory in Denmark and Sweden
• EU accounting standards encourage
reporting of environmental and social data

6. Global
Standards
Sustainability reporting frameworks

7. Global
Standards
Sustainability reporting frameworks

8. Global
Standards
Sustainability reporting frameworks

9. Global
Standards
Sustainability reporting frameworks

10. Global
Standards
Sustainability reporting frameworks
Others:
• AA1000 Series
• Social Accountability 8000

11. Drivers of Change
Integrated
reporting
Shareholder
activity, active
investors
and NGOs
Ratings such as
FTS4Good and
Dow Jones
Sustainability
Index
• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
• Carbon Disclosure Project
• WWF-GFTN: Ethical
Trading Initiative
Drive for standard content:
Changes in
the digital
media

12. Role of Stakeholders
Supporting, encouraging and
enforcing change to more
sustainable & less environmentally
damaging forms of production.
The
consumer

13. Role of Stakeholders
Eco-labels

14. Role of Stakeholders
Investors and
Consumers
• Energy & Climate
• Material Efficiency
• Nature and Resources
• People & Community
Category of questions:
Suppliers must provide
detailed sustainability data
Supply chain management

15. Technological developments
The
Good
Guide

16. Technological developments
Personal
Sustainability
reporting filter

17. Technological developments
Shift
toward
product
based
CSR

18. Technological developments
Shift
toward
product
based
CSR

19. Wrap up and discussion
• Will continue to grow and evolve.
• Technology > interactive, transparent, real-time.
Sustainability Reporting
• Possible future regulation
• Corporate scandals and/or environmental crisis.
Likely to be unexpected
developments

20. Keep in touch
Aaron Magner
Director - UNSW Sustainability
UNSW Sustainability
UNSW SYDNEY NSW 2052
www.sustainability.unsw.edu.au
LinkedIn | linkedin.com/in/aaronmagner
Twitter | @aaronmagner
Slideshare | slideshare.net/aaronmagner
Web | aaronmagner.com