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…
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EY Trialogue Sustainability Forum: Is ethical conduct becoming embedded in company culture, or is it still simply a ‘tick-box’/ compliance exercise? GalleryEY Trialogue Sustainability Forum: Is ethical conduct becoming embedded in company culture, or is it still simply a ‘tick-box’/ compliance exercise?
EY Trialogue Sustainability Forum: Is ethical conduct becoming embedded in company culture, or is it still simply a ‘tick-box’/ compliance exercise?
Ethics is more prominent in King IV than in King III. King IV consists of 16 principles, the first three of which are specifically focused on ethics: Ethical leadership (The governing body should lead ethically and effectively), Ethical culture (The governing body should govern the ethics of the organisation in [...]
Beyond Compliance: Social and Ethics Committees under King IV
King IV, released on 1 November 2016 and effective for financial years commencing 1 April 2017, expands on the role of the Social and Ethics Committee (SEC) as provided for in the Companies Act: It ascribes the role of oversight of and reporting on, responsible corporate citizenship, sustainable development and [...]
Beyond compliance – stakeholder engagement under King IV
Stakeholder engagement - a key aspect to Integrated Reporting - is broadly recognised as being crucial to strategic business and reporting decisions. The fourth iteration of the King Report on Corporate Governance, King IV, was released in November 2016. King IV purposes to bring about greater stakeholder inclusion into corporate [...]
Impact investing in South Africa: what the future holds
This article originally appeared in the Trialogue Annual Sustainability Review, a copy of which is available here. Impact investing is an increasingly effective driver of socio-economic development in South Africa. It draws on the power of capital to advance business models and entrepreneurs that intentionally create and combine social, environmental [...]
SOEs’ commitment to economic development
“It was Mother Theresa who said that love is not patronising and charity isn’t about pity, it’s about love. Charity and love are the same. Don’t just give money; reach out your hand instead.” These were the opening words of Dr Ben Ngubane, chairman of the board of Eskom Holdings, [...]
South Africa’s renewable energy plan needs a close eye
Lucy Baker, University of Sussex South Africa has become one of the leading destinations for renewable energy investment with an estimated R193 billion already committed. But there are question marks over how successful the programme has been in balancing the demands of financial and commercial soundness, and requirements of economic [...]
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 [...]
The status of social and ethics committees: a Trialogue/EY survey
The Companies Act, 2008 (Act 71 of 2008) I introduced the requirement that all listed companies, State-owned or of high public interest, must maintain a board- level committee mandated to oversee key environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, inform the board on developments and report to stakeholders. Today, three years [...]
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 [...]
QnA: Adrian Bertrand
The United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) is an international network of investors working to put the six Principles for Responsible Investment into practice. Adrian Bertrand, recently appointed Head of Africa Network for the UNPRI and formerly responsible for sustainability issues at the Government Employees Pension Fund of South [...]
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