Environmental Leader

Over 50 percent of America’s largest public traded companies now report on their sustainability effort, and over a third integrate elements of the Global Reporting Initiative sustainability reporting guidelines, according to a report by the Sustainable Investment Research Analysts Network.

The 2008 S&P 100 Sustainability Report Comparison was conducted by KLD Research & Analytics Inc., a independent investment research firm and analyzes SIRAN data from mid-2005 through the end of 2007.

Out of the S&P 100 companies:

- 86 have corporate sustainability Web sites, a 48 percent increase from 58 in 2005
- 49 produced a sustainability report in 2007, up 26 percent from 39 in 2005
- 41 incorporates GRI standards, an 71 percent increase from 24 in 2005
- 34 include a GRI Index in their report, up 70 percent from 20 in 2005

The SIRAN study defined a “sustainability report” as one that included data covering three or more areas of environmental, social, or governance performance, and considered six criteria:

1.    Is there corporate sustainability information on the company’s website?
2.    Was a report issued during the year?
3.    Does the company reference the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) “Sustainability Reporting Guidelines”?
4.    Does the report contain a content index that follows the GRI Guidelines?
5.    Is the report produced “In Accordance” with the 2002 GRI guidelines or at the “A” level as defined by the 2006 GRI “G3″ guidelines?
6.    Does the report include benchmarks and performance goals?