Sustainability performance audits

The closely related topic of audit reports and sustainability reporting is covered in Section 6.4 of this chapter, entitled Reporting Sustainability Performance. ... 

Once the financial, environmental, and social indicators and associated metrics have been developed, they may be used to assess an organization s sustainability performance through a sustainability audit, either internally by the organization, or by external stakeholders such as shareholders or environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).25... 

The result of the sustainability accounting/reporting is to provide all the elements necessary for sustainability auditing (e.g., for ISO 14000 environmental management standards) and to evaluate the sustainability performance of a company, organization or other entity using various performance indicators. 

Schaltegger, S., Wagner, M., 2006. Integrative management of sustainability performance, measurement and reporting. International Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Performance Evaluation 3, 1—19. 

In addition to the factors discussed above, there is also a pull from the financial markets to conduct sustainability audits. The call to organizations to more fully provide information on their environmental and social performance is due to developing evidence that shows good performance in the environmental and social arenas often... 

The premise of corporate responsibility auditing is the recognition by executives that the information provided to shareholders, as well as other stakeholders, on a corporation s performance needs to be truthful and reliable. Inherent in the auditing process is the provision of crucial knowledge that will sustain the public s trust and sharpen managements s collective focus on key nonfinancial value drives (e.g.,... 

In the early applications of chemicals, the methods used for disposal were, in general, performed without consideration of the environmental impact. However, as the volumes of chemicals increased and the consequences of such practices became apparent it was necessary to develop non-polluting methods for the disposal of all chemicals, including solvents. New approaches were required which not only would benefit the environment but also the user, the chemical industry and society as a whole. Sensible legislation is the key driver to achieve a balance between use and impact minimisation. Sustainable development is achieved by establishing performance criteria, cooperation, commitment and by auditing compliance. 

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