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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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Empowering women to rethink periods
Meet Wendelien Hebly, one of the co-founders of Yoni, a company urging women (and men) to rethink periods. I recently watched her present at an event about the purpose economy. She made the audience feel uncomfortable; initially because of the topic of menstruation. As she continued, she took some of that discomfort away and replaced it…
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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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Naming, claiming, framing the S-word
On May 19, 2016, I will be moderating two sessions at the GRI Global Conference. The first one is a session called “Forget the S-word”. The panel consists of senior professionals from the advertising, apparel and defense industries. During the prep call, we already started an animated discussion about the many issues around the S…
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Why investors are joining consumers and NGOs on tax evasion
When defining what sustainability and corporate social responsibility are really all about, tax should be part of the discussion. Increasingly, various stakeholders view corporate tax responsibility (CTR) as part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). In recent years, media coverage of companies’ tax policy and tax avoidance schemes has resulted in dented reputations, even consumer boycotts. Mainstream…
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B Corps for inspiration or accreditation?
Collectively, B Corps aspire to be a growing global movement of people using business as a force for good. Individually, B Corps are for-profit companies certified to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. On January 22, I attended the B Corps Netherlands community event, hosted by Patagonia at their Amsterdam offices. …
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More training needed before accountants can save the world
Since 2012, Peter Bakker, president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development has been declaring that accountants will save the world. On January 12, I had the honor to host and moderate an expert panel on the subject in the most sustainable office building in the world. Nyenrode University’s Dean, Mr. Leen Paape,…
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Wayne’s World: the Sustainable Frontiers Forecast
In September 2015, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by South African author Wayne Visser. The lecture started with an interesting timeline of the development of sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. He then presented a model to create integrated value, his vision of the future of this movement. This blog post is about…
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Can accountants save the world?
Meet Wim Bartels, Global Head of Sustainability Reporting and Assurance at KPMG. “Accountants will save the world”, said Peter Bakker, president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). If all accountants were as knowledgeable and passionate as Wim, that could really happen. Here’s what he told me about sustainability and change. Recognizing…
