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Reporting matters 2022
Reflecting on a decade of progress in the effectiveness of sustainability reporting
Over the last ten years, continued progress has been made in the effectiveness of sustainability reporting and its ability to drive sustainable business transformation – according to the milestone 10th anniversary edition of Reporting matters, published by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in partnership with RY.
Since 2013, the publication has driven increasingly effective reporting practices to the benefit of all stakeholders, supporting readers to improve the effectiveness of their disclosures by sharing reporting trends and best practices.
More than 1,600 reports from more than 150 leading global companies have been reviewed to date – and rising overall scores demonstrate the progress that’s been made and how wider communications are more effectively conveying sustainability activity and impact.
This year’s publication explores the challenges of reporting on double and dynamic materiality, the journey to a reasonable level of assurance and the benefits of improving accessibility.
Key findings include:
- 93% of member companies in our benchmark have improved their Overall scores since the baseline year of 2019
- 34% have improved their Materiality score
- 94% of reports reviewed acknowledged the SDGs in some way
- 45% of reports reviewed reference the SASB standards, up from 10% in 2019
- 98% of members with an offline-first approach produce complementary online content, up from 64% in 2019
Jennifer Black, Sustainability Reporting Director at RY, said: “Sustainability reporting has transformed over the last decade and it’s rewarding to see such positive results from our long partnership with WBCSD. Reporting matters has proved instrumental in supporting businesses to improve the effectiveness of their reporting, respond to the changing demands from external stakeholders and keep up with an ever-evolving regulatory landscape.
We’ve witnessed steady progress in the rigour that underpins reporting through more rigorous materiality assessments, the integration of sustainability strategies into business plans and the broadening use of communication channels and platforms – all driven by diversifying audience needs. These changes are making sure reporting remains relevant and fit for purpose for the decade ahead.”
If you would like further information on Reporting matters, or to discuss your sustainability reporting and communications, please get in touch. We’d love to chat.
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Reporting matters 2022
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Reporting matters launch webinar 2020
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