Sustainability Reporting

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Sustainability Reporting CIPFAs Framework
Tech4/SuzanneFoley/Overheads/058-TL
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Sustainability what is it?
Enabling individuals to satisfy their basic needs
and enjoy a better quality of life, without
compromising the quality of life of future
generations, ensuring a strong, healthy and just
society that lives within environment limits.
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Why is it significant for CIPFA?

• Discussion paper published in 2004
• Development strategy funding to prepare a
  reporting framework in 2006, launched at June
  Conference
• Framework drafted by Forum for the Future
  leading sustainability charity

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Sustainability Reporting

• Reporting about sustainability successes not
  encouraging organisations to be more sustainable
• Suggesting different ways of reporting annual
  report, website, sustainability report,
  residential newsletter, not a specific or
  prescriptive report to add to reporting burden

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Why did CIPFA prepare a reporting framework?

• Government commitment to the agenda devolved
  assemblies and Whitehall
• Private sector are developing sustainability
  reporting the public sector is lagging behind
• We want to enable public sector organisations to
  prepare a sustainability report

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Case Studies

• Important to understand the principles of
  sustainability
• Approached organisations to be case studies in
  publicity and in the framework
• Case studies from Cornwall to Scotland LG, NHS,
  MoD, Audit etc

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What makes a good report?

• a balanced approach account for positive and
  negative impacts
• robust systems for identifying and handling
  sensitive issues
• use of appropriate media to reach different
  stakeholders
• active engagement with stakeholders
• remember sustainability encompasses economic,
  social and environmental matters

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Material CSR Issues

• Sustainable development
• Health and Safety
• Environmental Impacts
• Employees and Ethics
• Relationships with Customers
• Suppliers and Partners
• Community and Stakeholders Involvement
• (Adapted from Taylor Woodrow)

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Importance of Self Challenge
Be honest (adapted from Vodafone)
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Stakeholder Engagement
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Trends

• Most organisations could do more to communicate
  their sustainability practices
• Disclosure becoming common in the commercial
  sector
• But
• Many organisations follow a compliance or risk
  management approach
• Opportunities exist to innovate and lead
• Opportunities for linking sustainability
  performance to efficiency gains

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The framework

• What is sustainability?
• Why is it relevant to me?
• How can I put sustainability into practice?
• What are the important issues?
• How can I measure performance?
• Reporting how, what, to whom?
• Good practice examples

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Where next?
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CIPFA future actions

• Promoting CIPFA activities in sustainability and
  demonstrating that we add something beneficial to
  the process
• Raising awareness of sustainability amongst our
  members articles, meetings, micro site
  www.cipfa.org.uk/pt/sustainability