Social reporting

Special Features The first global standard for measurement and reporting of social and ethical performance. A A 1,000 is a widely used standard for corporate social reporting in the UK. 

This leads on to the subject of social reporting, which is well worthy of discussion as sustainable development reporting will only be possible if a report on social matters is available. 

Table 3.19 shows that the early activity mainly occurred in the USA and the UK across a number of different industry sectors. Traidcraft, established in 1979, was the first business in the UK to develop voluntary social accounts and to publish independently audited social reports. 

By the end of the 1990s, the social reporting concept was becoming more mainstream, as big players like Avon, BT, IKEA, Renault, Rio Tinto and Shell became involved. There is a debate in progress on whether it could now become mandatory. Although this is already the case in France and could follow in Brazil, at present it seems unlikely. However, it should be noted that in certain countries it is already a condition that some of the social aspects must be included in the annual report. For example, in the UK annual reports are required by law to include information on charitable donations, pension fund adequacy and employee share ownership schemes. 

There are now a number of organisations involving NGOs, governments, trade associations and multilateral bodies working to develop both performance indicators and reporting standards for social reporting. The activities of some of these, mostly located in the UK, will now be briefly reviewed. 

This list certainly indicates the complexity of carrying out social reporting. 

The 1998 PIRC survey found that approximately 25% of the FTSE 350 companies reported on community matters in their annual report. Just under 10% provided standalone social or community reports on community involvement. The 1999 UNEP/ SustainAbility survey of social reporting identified over 30 companies providing some form of social report. As most of the pioneer work and standard drafting has been carried out in the UK and the USA, it came as no surprise to find that 50% of these social reports were produced in these two countries. 

Verification of social/community reports lags well behind that of CERs. PIRC found only one social report, Body Shop, had been verified. However, the verification method adopted here was rather interesting as it involved three expert organisations, each for one particular aspect ... 

Some further information on costs came from the pioneers in the social reporting field. Elere, it was confirmed that it is not a cheap exercise. Examples given were Can 100 000 for VanCity, Canada and US 750 000 for Body Shop, UK. 

Source PIRC 1998 Environmental and Social Reporting Survey... 

British Library, Sustainable Business - The Benefits of Environmental and Social Reporting, London, 1998. 

GRI is a network of more than 600 organizations dedicated to advancing transparency in economic, environmental and social reporting. Its reporting framework is developed through a multi-stakeholder process, and is the most widely used format for corporate sustainability reports. 

The intimate socials reported wanting to know how their parents feel, i.e. what their moods are. It is also important for them to know where they are (in or out the house), and if they are asleep or not. All in all they would like to get a general impression of their daily activities. 

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