| |
In This Issue
Editor's Note
What Brazil, China, and India Tell Us About the Future of Sustainability
For the past 20 years, corporate sustainability has largely been defined by the West. But with the shifting balance of the world economy, and with events like Rio+20 taking place in Brazil later this week, that’s changing.
Based on a series of in-depth research and workshops, in this week’s feature article, BSR’s Advisory Services Director Guy Morgan explores how the emerging markets of Brazil, China, and India are redefining corporate sustainability priorities, and, in doing so, charting the future of sustainability.
We also highlight BSR’s participation in Rio+20 (and in case you can’t join us there, don’t miss our blog coverage), and share tips from a new report that includes a contribution from BSR President Aron Cramer on how to make sustainability reports relevant to diverse audiences, from investors, to employees, to stakeholders.
 |
In Depth
New Geographies of Corporate Sustainability
By Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services, BSR
What is the landscape of CSR in Brazil, India, and China--and what does that mean for the future of sustainability?
Read more →
|
Spotlight
BSR at Rio+20
By Julia Robinson, Communications Associate, BSR
Rio+20, an important milestone that marks two decades since the first Earth Summit, kicks off this week in Brazil. BSR--which is also celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012--is excited to join companies, NGOs, and governments to develop new strategies and innovative partnerships for sustainability. BSR Senior Vice President Eric Olson, South America Director Joe Sellwood, and Advisory Services Manager Alison Colwell will attend the UN Global Compact Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum from June 15 through 18:
-
Colwell will speak on a panel, "Corporate Respect and Support for Human Rights," on June 16.
-
Sellwood will participate in sessions on the "New Geographies of Corporate Responsibility," which BSR discusses in a new report and blog series, and on "Changing the World through Fashion" on June 18.
BSR will host an event on the future of fuels and water with GE and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro/COPPE on June 19. Also, look for BSR's coverage of the events at Rio on our blog and via Twitter.
Toolbox
Making Sustainability Reports Relevant to Diverse Audiences
By Julia Robinson, Communications Associate, BSR
With sustainability reporting becoming mainstream, it is crucial that reports continue to evolve to meet the needs of diverse audiences. In a new publication from the UN Environment Program, Deloitte Southern Africa, and the University of Stellenbosch on the future of corporate reporting, released in advance of Rio+20, BSR President and CEO Aron Cramer examines how to engage with multiple audiences. Cramer suggests that companies should narrow reporting strategies to focus on three audiences, recognizing that they have different priorities:
-
Investors: Integrating financial and sustainability reporting will help make corporate responsibility a conventional aspect of long-term strategy.
-
Employees: Concise, authentic stories and internal communications will help employees understand and engage with sustainability plans.
-
Stakeholders: Broad reports aimed at global stakeholders and written with the advice of a panel of the most material stakeholders will help companies engage with the "original 'muse' for sustainability reporting."
Cramer also writes that new formats, such as customizable mobile applications, will continue to reshape reporting and that the era of a single, published report, could fade away in favor of more diverse communications.
|
|
|
