Reporting round up July 2004

July 01, 2004

Responsible media

Urgent public debate is required on the extent to which media and entertainment companies should be held responsible for the public impact – both positive and negative – of their output, says a report released on June 3. Through the looking glass, published by WWF and SustainAbility, presents a seven-point manifesto for media and entertainment companies. The proposed action plan includes calls to “take a proactive stance on key issues” and to “work with civil society organisations to ensure that public policy proposals win broad support”. Contact Jules Peck, WWF, on 01483 426 444(http://www.wwf.org.uk)

OECD recognises GRI

The OECD Committee on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises has officially recognised the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines as a useful way for companies to report on their progress with implementing the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The announcement on April 12 follows a six-month collaboration between the two organisations to identify synergies across the two standards. Contact Nicholas Bray, OECD, on 00 33 1 4524 8090 (http://www.oecd.org)

Novo Nordisk won the best reporter prize at the latest ACCA European sustainability reporting awards on April 5. Aalborg Portland and Slibverwerking Noord-Brabant were recognised in the environment and SME categories respectively.

Contact Rachel Jackson, ACCA, on 020 7396 5845(http://www.accaglobal.com)

The Global Reporting Initiative is to develop a technical protocol for each of the six health and safety indicators in the 2002 Guidelines, it announced on May 10. The project is being funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Contact Alyson Slater, GRI, on 00 31 20 531 0000 (http://www.globalreporting.org)

The effectiveness of the SROI tool, which aims to measure the financial value of social and environmental as well as economic returns, is demonstrated in a new report by the New Economics Foundation entitled Valuing what matters. Contact Jessica Bridges Palmer, NEF, on 020 7820 6357(http://www.neweconomics.org)

readers’ survey

Half of the general public in North America, Australia and some parts of Europe say they have either read a CSR report, briefly looked at one or heard about one from someone else, according to a recent survey conducted by GlobeScan Inc formerly Environics International. Opinion leaders are twice as likely as the general public to say they have looked at a report, suggesting that even more people will be reading these reports in the future. The findings, announced on April 22, are based on interviews with around 1,000 respondents in 21 countries between December 2003 and February 2004. Contact Eric Whan, GlobeScan, on 00 1 416 969 2776 (http://www.globescan.com)

COMMENT:

Errr, no, the dateline on this survey is not April 1. We did have to double check: one in five Americans (19%) has read a CSR report? More than half (54%) have either read, looked at or heard about one?? Sorry, such results defy both logic and common sense. Of the 450 companies listed by the Global Reporting Initiative, only 50 are US based. The overwhelming majority of American companies do not produce anything recognisable as a CSR report. Even within Europe, where more are produced, these reports are simply not aimed at ordinary consumers or accessible to them.

The best we can say is that the survey at least asks the right question. Companies should indeed be thinking much more about how the content of their CSR reports can be used to influence ordinary consumers and citizens. But it will take much more appropriate and effective communication channels before millions of Europeans and Americans are really reading about CSR and changing their buying behaviour as a result.

COMMENTS