News

After 10 years of highly respected adherence to the Global Reporting Initiative’s GRI Guidelines, the South African community of listed companies has finally undergone a thorough test of its position as a leading reporting country.

SustainabilityServices.co.za, a small boutique consultancy specializing in sustainability reporting and assurance, has produced the very first comprehensive review of compliance to the GRI Guidelines, citing the 10th anniversary of the Guidelines, and the launch of the third version of South Africa’s very own Corporate Governance codes (the King Code of Corporate Governance). Having reviewed 399 reporting entities, including an HIV/AIDS charity (Cotlands) and 3 SMME suppliers to PUMA, SustainabilityServices.co.za has provided a comprehensive compliance ranking of 82 GRI-based reports, 80 ‘near reporters’, and the rest of the review population.

Concluding that South Africa currently sits third among 53 countries producing GRI-based reports, behind Spain and the US (although it’s highly probable that the UK and Japan’s efforts have not been appropriately updated by the GRI on their own database of reports), the report authors provide a number of interesting facts, figures and trends about the state of sustainability reporting in what is yet considered to be ‘an emerging market’.

For more information about the study, go to www.sustainabilityservices.co.za, or email Michael H. Rea at info@sustainabilityservices.co.za to receive a .pdf copy of the report.

Posted on July 13, 2009 at 09:40am.