Corporate sustainability reporting has to become mandatory in order to reach sufficient progress towards sustainable development, writes Paul Hohnen, a consultant and Associate Fellow of Chatham House, in the Guardian. Governments should agree on globally valid guidelines of how companies are to report on sustainability aspects – the upcoming Rio+20 conference being perhaps the best … Continue reading
Accountants should assume a more active role in helping companies improve their sustainability performance, the Financial Times recently wrote. Not only is sustainability reporting – often the first step to action – gathering importance and momentum, it is also spreading rapidly through supply chains and logistics infrastructures. Who, if not the accountant, could cope with … Continue reading
Sustainability should be embedded throughout the supply chain to give weight and credibility to a company’s sustainability credentials, writes Jill Poet, managing director of the Organisation for Responsible Businesses (ORB), in the Guardian. “Larger organisations are increasingly accountable to shareholders and the government for their social and environmental impacts, but invariably the bulk of that … Continue reading
Pure Advantage is the telling name of a group of influential business people here in New Zealand determined to make the most out of the country’s clean, green image and 100% Pure marketing campaigns. Likewise, in the UK, the Ecosystem Markets Task Force presses for ‘green growth’, aiming to find ways for businesses to “play … Continue reading
Both global warming and resource constraints require a move away from an economy dependent on fossil fuels towards one focussed on low-carbon and resource efficiency. Most global corporate leaders now seem to understand the magnitude of those challenges and a re-thinking of business strategies is well under way. As Paul Simpson, chief executive of the … Continue reading
Talking (and writing) so much about our Western approach to business and sustainability – and the shortcomings in both – it can be refreshing to take a step back and reflect on how people with other worldviews tackle the same issues. Take the Maori, for instance, considered to be New Zealand’s first settlers. Crippled by … Continue reading
A Malborough wine producer has slashed its annual heating bill by choosing to burn its own vine prunings to produce heat, New Zealand creative business magazine idealog reports. “Yealands Estate has replaced its LPG-fired boiler with two wood-burning boilers to produce the heat it needs for winemaking, with the financial support of the Energy Efficiency … Continue reading
London-based research consultancy and think-tank sustainAbility just published the fourth part of its year-long investigation in rating agencies focused on sustainability and csr. “Over the last decade, there has been a significant proliferation and diversification of ratings. While this has certainly led to confusion and sometimes even griping amongst companies, users and other stakeholders, this … Continue reading
Being a sustainable business now is more than just managing the benefits you can see on your balance sheet. As the Guardian points out, “sustainable business is increasingly a necessity in ensuring continuity and smart effectiveness, as resource stress and climate change becomes more of a reality. Rather than a narrow focus on reducing the … Continue reading
German sports giant Puma has generated quite a hype with its recent publication of the world’s first environmental profit and loss statement. Commentators have argued that this is a big step for accounting practices, accountants being sometimes described as someone who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. As the Guardian puts … Continue reading
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