Challenges In Effective Sustainability Reporting; 2015 And Beyond

As 2015 kicks off a New Year and new planning cycle for the gathering of data to support corporate reporting on ethical and sustainable business practices it is worth taking a few moments to reflect on key issues from 2014 and the challenges ahead.

I am very humbled to currently be leading a small team of researchers based out of the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs which is looking closely at the effectiveness of sustainability reporting practices. In response to a call for proposals from the Network for Business Sustainability at the Ivey Business School in London, Ontario our team has begun looking at a number of challenges impacting CSR and sustainability reporting.

NBS’s own work has resulted in some concerning findings regarding the efficacy of established practices to date positing the failure of most reports to either reach relevant audiences or to meet their informational needs. Having spent the past 15 years managing commercial supply chains for global multinationals around the world with a particular focus for the past half dozen years on ethical trade and sustainable business practices I would have to agree.

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Michael Lavergne is an ethical trade and sustainable supply chain professional with 15+ years of multinational experience working with and for WRAP Asia, Bureau Veritas, Loblaw Companies, Wal-Mart and Sara Lee Corp. He is the author of the upcoming book FIXING FASHION; Changing the way we make, market and buy our clothes and is currently completing his graduate thesis in corporate diplomacy at The University of London SOAS.