Stakeholders expect organizations to be more and more transparent on how they manage CSR/Sustainability topics. DFGE has selected the 10 top documents which enhance CSR/Sustainability reporting.
München/Greifenberg, 17 December 2015.
DFGE– Institute for Energy, Ecology and Economy provides consulting and auditing services to realize a Green Vision integrated in corporate business processes. Being active in all leading sustainability reportings and consulting Fortune 500 companies as well as mid-sized corporations in their sustainability management DFGE has put together a list of the 10 top documents to help organizations report on these topics when they receive stakeholders’ requests.
1 – CSR report
A CSR/Sustainability report is a tool gathering the organization’s actions and progress regarding various CSR topics. Existing standards help companies set up their reports’ contents and quality such as GRI[1], the International Integrated Reporting Framework[2], etc. It is a way for stakeholders to find accurate information in an accessible way.
2 – Endorsements
Companies can take part in and adhere to various CSR/Sustainability standards like United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)[3], Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)[4], among others. Then, stakeholders can find them in the list of participants and read the related public reports, which shows companies’ external commitments.
3 – Certificates
Health and Safety, Environment, Energy, Information Security Management systems can be certified externally. A certificate gives credibility to the management system as it is the result of an independent third party audit
4 – Impact/Risk assessment
It is useful for companies to assess their environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts. It enables them to know where their impacts in order to better manage them and the associated risks.
5 – Materiality Matrix
A materiality matrix is the matching between companies’ priorities and stakeholders’ interests: it helps prioritize CSR issues and indicates that stakeholders were consulted.
6 – Policy/strategy
When stakeholders and company’s priorities have been identified and matched, the company can decide its CSR strategy, where it states its commitments, and can set related targets. Given policies per topic are a tool to communicate these targets and commitments.
7 – Organigram
Dedicated responsibilities enable the company to implement better its CSR strategy. An organigram points out who is responsible for given topics and also indicates whether CSR is discussed in high-level decision-making committees.
8 – Code of conduct
A code of conduct is a tool to communicate stakeholders’ main rights and duties regarding CSR, and it is usually signed by employees, clients, suppliers.
9 – Action-related documents
There are as many documents as there are actions. They can be processes, case studies, training support, collective agreements, etc. They just need to showcase companies’ actions towards the implementation of their sustainability objectives.
10 – Dashboard
A dashboard shows the KPIs in a graphic way. It can be published online or reused in the CSR report. KPIs assess the performance of actions and progress overtime.
“Fulfilling this list is hard work, but companies can manage to structure a relevant and solid sustainability management system if they invest in sustainability intelligence and systems to enable them to track information and to reuse it to make sure that all stakeholders have access to the data they need” states Dr.-Ing. Thomas Fleissner, CEO and founder of DFGE.
DFGE can help companies draft the internal documents, on various CSR topics: environment, labor practices, human rights, ethics, supply chain, product responsibility, community involvement. Regarding impact assessment, DFGE is specialized in Carbon Footprint assessment with its top-down approach® which can be duplicated for other topics. DFGE can prepare all necessary documentation to adhere to external initiatives such as UNGC or CDP. DFGE can create the structure and collect data for a CSR report in accordance with GRI.
More information
GRI: https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/g4/Pages/default.aspx
International <IR> Framework: http://integratedreporting.org/resource/international-ir-framework/
United Nations Global Compact: https://www.unglobalcompact.org/
CDP: https://www.cdp.net/en-US/Pages/HomePage.aspx
OHSAS 18001: http://www.ohsas-18001-occupational-health-and-safety.com/
SA 8000: http://www.sa-intl.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=937
ISO 14001: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso14001_revision
ISO 27001: http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/management-standards/iso27001.htm
ISO 50001: http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/management-standards/iso50001.htm
About DFGE
The DFGE– Institute for Energy, Ecology and Economy provides consulting and auditing services to realize a Green Vision integrated in corporate business processes. Strategic advice on topics like technology, energy and emissions is expanded to business related and socio-economic aspects. Services range from consultancy in developing and managing customized analysis for testified Carbon footprint to validation of analysis methods and results for sustainable accuracy. As independent Institute DFGE’s work is based on advanced scientific and research methods and institutionalized standards. More at www.dfge.de
The DFGE disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the given information. All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute DFGE’s judgment as of the date of this report and are subject to change without notice. DFGE shall have no liability for errors, omissions, or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
[1] Link to GRI
