Reporting at a record high
The number of reporters has reached a record high - the number of GRI reports that GRI is aware of having grown by over 50% in the period since the last conference - and continues to grow. But, how is the reporting landscape changing, how should data be reported, and what do the readers of reports think of them?
How is the reporting landscape changing?
Since the 2008 conference the reporting landscape has changed significantly. Governments and regulators around the world are introducing new requirements on many companies to report or explain why they can’t report. New corporate initiatives, for example sustainability indices, are also driving the uptake in reporting. The conference will bring together the main players in this fast-changing field to explore what this means in practice for current and future reporters.
How should data be reported?
Many reporters are introducing new, innovative report formats. Should sustainability reporting be integrated with annual reporting? Should reporting be published online only? Should reporting be tagged electronically, and, if so, how? The conference will feature sessions on the latest developments in reporting format.
Who reads reports?
The audience for sustainability reports is wide: it includes investors, NGOs, suppliers, buyers, consumers, governments and regulators. But what do they think of current reporting practices? The conference will feature the second Readers’ Choice Awards including a survey of the readers of sustainability reports. In addition to the readers’ survey, GRI will, for the first time, ask reporters what their objectives are in issuing a report.
