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Key skills for sustainability
Whether you want to become a sustainability manager or contribute to a sustainable future in another role, there are key skills you need to master at three different levels. Ethical leadership The individual level is the starting point. You must understand your own values and motivations to contribute to a better world. This self-awareness helps…
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How to transform sustainability reporting to a tool for positive change
Let’s talk about how to transform reporting from a burden into a tool to build a better future. Our earlier posts zoomed in on materiality, but in the end, it’s all about creating that better future. Here’s our take on how to get more out of your reporting efforts. Just in time for the people…
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Top tips to cut the crap in reporting
In the last decade, transparency and corporate reporting progressed tremendously, allowing society access to performance information that is usually not available in financial reports. Sustainability (or non-financial) reporting enable stakeholders – like investors, regulators, employees, NGOs, communities, partners, etc. – access to information about a company’s social, environmental and economic impacts, directly from the source.…
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How to avoid the materiality traps
This time of year, the materiality marathon is on. Companies and consultants are on a journey to define what topics should be included in the upcoming sustainability or non-financial report. Materiality analysis can be an extremely useful and strategic exercise, with  value far beyond reporting. However, the many definitions and adaptations to the concept can…
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Have a bath before you open your kimono
Is your company ready to open its kimono? In 2010, South African corporate governance expert Mervyn King made the audience laugh at the GRI conference. “If you’re going to open your kimono, you better have a bath first.” I really like his analogy for sustainability reporting and performance. And for companies with more than 500 employees in the EU,…
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Materiality: the pain of choices
In search of the right topics to include in their sustainability or integrated report, many companies use the materiality principle. The Global Reporting Initiative placed more emphasis on materiality when it last updated its sustainability reporting guidelines. Dutch sustainability magazine P Plus, recently interviewed me about transparency and materiality. Here’s a summarized translation of the Dutch article. Materiality…
