SUSTAINABILITY INSIGHTS
These are articles written by our Trialogue colleagues, associates and guest writers giving insight into issues that impact on business and society. Tips on effectively managing sustainability in your business, the latest annual corporate reporting trends, the role of the Social and Ethics Committee, curated articles, and more…
Trialogue review of the V&A Waterfront’s integrated thinking
The V&A Waterfront, with 24 million visitors per year, is a key partner in South Africa’s tourism industry, as well as being a leading retail, commercial, residential and marine services organisation. The V&A has a well-established sustainability programme and has recently adopted a shared value ecosystem approach as its strategy. [...]
Creating integrated thinking frameworks in sustainability strategies
Typically, the emphasis on corporate sustainability is placed on the reporting process. Processes and structures required to oversee and co-ordinate sustainability practices are seldom given the priority they deserve and are often only considered during the annual reporting cycle. Trialogue advocates that attending to the management of sustainability practices is [...]
Integrated thinking before integrated reporting
EY Trialogue Sustainability Forum Panelists Dr Brian Chicksen is the Vice-President of Health at AngloGold Ashanti. He was previously the MD of the group’s health subsidiary where he established a clear healthcare value proposition for AGA and its employees. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Cape [...]
Supply Chain Sustainability – Challenges and Opportunities
EY Trialogue Sustainability Forum Overview Organisational supply chains represent around 50% to 70% of corporates’ sustainability footprint [1]. Consumer goods supply chains alone account for more than 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions, 80% of water withdrawals and 75% of forced and child labour infringements [2]. With this picture as [...]
QnA: Mervyn King
Mervyn King needs little introduction. A former Supreme Court judge and currently chairman of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), the Integrated Reporting Committee of South Africa (IRCSA) and, of course, the King Committee on Corporate Governance, he discusses the concepts of good governance and integrated thinking. How would you [...]
Leading companies pull further ahead in reporting
The annual EY Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards are starting to reveal a gap between the reporting pioneers and the majority of followers who have yet to fully grasp the integrated reporting concept. Download full article here [PDF, 423 kB] Written by Rob Worthington-Smith.
Can reporting predict a crisis?
Integrated reporting frameworks, standards and guidelines aim to promote quality reporting and are, indeed, making disclosure more robust. But has this moved us any closer to predicting – and, more importantly, averting – corporate crises? There is a common misunderstanding that companies which produce the best integrated or sustainability reports [...]
Putting non-financial data to work
When will non-financial data translate into business intelligence? Too often, companies haphazardly scrape together data and commentary on sustainability topics just weeks before the reports go to print. However, issues important enough to be reported on should certainly be important enough to be robustly managed, and vice-versa. A clear business [...]
Ethics and the new ROI
There is a sound business case for the proactive management of ethics as a strategic advantage. What’s more, acting on this business case can allow organisations to access the ROI − or return on integrity − that flows from making an investment in ethics. Download the full article [PSF, 93 [...]
Sustainability through the media lens
Trialogue presents our latest analysis of how the sustainability landscape is shaping up in South Africa, highlighting corporate actions the media considers newsworthy. Based on a study on reporting carried out by media analysts Media Tenor, it shows a disconnect between media coverage and the environmental, social and governance issues that companies [...]
The power of purpose in branding
Sustainability is about building businesses and societies that can sustain themselves into the future with operating models that endure rather than burn out. Not only is sustainability important to your business, but it also matters to consumers and potential employees. That is why building sustainability into your brand can potentially [...]
Conversations on sustainability
In 2014, EY and Trialogue brought together several panels of executives to share thoughts and lessons on tackling key issues in sustainability and integrated reporting. The points summarised in this article give a taste of the rich insights to emerge from the discussions that took place over several hours at [...]