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Corporate Responsibility
Newsletter - Spring 2011
Please subscribe to receive this periodic newsletter - a service of SRI World Group and OneReport.
In this issue:
Study Assessing Research Firms Nearing Completion
SAM Publishes Annual Yearbook
Quality Standard for Corporate Responsibility Investment Research Gains Traction
OneReport Clients Named to CR 100
GRI 3.1 Guidelines, and the Technical Protocol
EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Online
Sustainability Lexicon Project Planned
Upcoming Events
Ceres Conference
Look for the OneReport exhibit or contact Mark Thomsen to schedule a meeting and/or demonstration.
May 11-12 | Oakland
GRI Process Training
June 1-2 | Cleveland
Ethical Corporation: Responsible Business Summit USA
June 1-2 | New York
The Conference Board: Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability Conference
June 9-10 | Washington, D.C.
Sustainability Reporting News
from SocialFunds.com
About OneReport:
OneReport provides a unique corporate responsibility information management and reporting platform. By integrating the research needs of the leading social investment research and ratings firms and corporate responsibility frameworks, we provide leading firms with a flexible planning, information management, reporting and web-publishing system. With the proliferation of new frameworks and ratings firms, "survey fatigue" remains a challenge for companies. Structured as a cost-effective software-as-a-service, OneReport supports reporting organizations and working teams with self-service tools through its Web-application and extensive corporate responsibility content. One Report can help simplify the information collection, oversight and reporting process:
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Integrates the research needs of the leading social investment research and ratings firms, as well as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), into a single, customizable reporting system. |
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Choose from these leading frameworks and ratings agencies and their imbedded indicators and metrics. |
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Leverages this information for multiple stakeholders and purposes, minimizing duplication. |
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Provides metrics access and oversight tools for planning, data input, delegation, coordination; reporting and Web publishing purposes. Easily self-publishing a GRI-based index and PDF-based GRI report. |
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Easily self-publish a GRI-based index and GRI report or a UN Global Compact Communication on Progress. |
In short, OneReport simplifies corporate responsibility reporting for both inexperienced and experienced reporters, and complements existing information collection tools.
We also offer products and services to complement OneReport: CR support and consulting services, a CSR self-assessment tool and other specialized CSR applications in collaboration with other organizations. For more information, please refer to our overview. |
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Study Assessing Research Firms Nearing Completion |
A four-phase study “Rating the Raters,” undertaken by the consultancy SustainAbility, assesses governance, and transparency, quality of inputs, research process and outputs of rating agencies. The third phase of the study highlights best practices of leading research/ratings organizations of 21 of the more than 100 organizations reviewed earlier. The final phase report is expected shortly, and will address issues that have emerged such as funding for raters, the mixing of selling services and ratings, transparency, the potential for a core set of criteria and unified quality standards.
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SAM Publishes Annual Yearbook |
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Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) published its annual Sustainability Yearbook 2011 summarizing its sector assessments and issues. Although its peer benchmarking assessments are only provided to firms that respond to their questionnaire, all firms can glean insights from the yearbook for broad and sector specific sustainability commentary, along with median, lowest and highest performance scores by key categories within each sector. Company-specific information is limited to the names of those selected as sector leaders, index constituents, and those with gold, silver and bronze distinctions.
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Quality Standard for Corporate Responsibility Investment Research Gains Traction |
Last fall the Association of Independent Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility Research (AI CSRR) announced that its quality standard is available to new auditees. The standard, dubbed CSRR-QS 2.1, assesses the quality management systems at firms that research corporate responsibility and sustainability for investors.
The CSRR-QS 2.1 assessment and auditing process requires research firms to focus on continuous quality improvement, implement best practice and codes of conduct to ensure independence and integrity in the research process, and publish an externally verifiable Transparency Matrix to reinforce trust in their research methodologies.
According to AI CSSR, nine methodologies from eight independent firms have been certified, and the methodologies of at least six more firms will be assessed in 2011. Participation thus far has been limited to European investment research firms, including OneReport partners Vigeo and Oekom.
CSRR-QS 2.1 is result of over eight years of work. AI CSRR was formed in 2002 at the request of the European Commission in order to promote confidence in corporate sustainability and responsibility investment research by improving quality management and stimulating transparency.
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OneReport Clients Named to CR 100 |
In March Corporate Responsibility (CR) Magazine published its CR’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens rankings. IW Financial (a OneReport partner research firm) analyzes over 300 data points in deciding the constituents. Congratulations to the 11 OneReport clients who were named to the 2011 list, including three of the top 5 companies.
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GRI 3.1 Guidelines, and 2011 Technical Protocol Made Available |
GRI made two announcements in March – one regarding its new G3.1 Guidelines, which contains new content on human rights, community, and gender, and the other concerning the Technical Protocol, which provides guidance on defining report content.
Changes to the human rights section includes additions to the Disclosure on Management Approach and two new core indicators (HR10 and HR 11) that ask the percentage and total number of operations that have been subject to human rights reviews and/or impact assessments, and the number of grievances related to human rights filed, addressed and resolved through formal grievance mechanisms.
The community aspect of the Society Performance Indicators was expanded from one to three core indicators. They ask for the percentage of operations with implemented local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs (SO1), significant potential or actual negative impacts on local communities (SO9), and prevention and mitigation measures implemented in operations with significant potential or actual negative impacts (SO10).
The labor practices section includes several changes to the Disclosure on Management Approach, an update to the LA14 Performance Indicator, and a new core indicator (LA15) which asks for return to work and retention rates, by gender, after parental leave.
The new Technical Protocol (TP) was created to clarify how reporting organizations can define what is material to them, and thereby define the content of their GRI report. The Protocol includes guidance on determining the scope of a report, the range of topics covered, each topic’s relative reporting priority and level of coverage, and what to disclose in the report about the process for defining its content. It is an advisory document and supports reporting organizations in providing a response to Profile Disclosure 3.5 (the process for defining report content).
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EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Online |
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing a web-based Electronic Greenhouse Gas Reporting Tool (e-GGRT) to support reporting under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). The e-GGRT registration module is now available and can be accessed. Additional information and news on e-GGRT can be found here.
Companies must register online to become an e-GGRT user. Upon completion of the user registration process, e-GGRT will allow companies can register facilities and suppliers and submit Certificates of Representation to EPA.
The deadline for e-GGRT registration for the 2010 reporting year is August 1, 2011, and the deadline for the annual GHG Report is September 30, 2011.
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Sustainability Lexicon Project Planned |
To move towards a more sustainable economy, new concepts and language related to sustainability are beginning to emerge but will need to be codified. Among the emerging “lexicon” in sustainability are new concepts such as biocapacity, chain of custody, food security, water risk and “D-waste” (coined by Kathrin Winkler, Chief Sustainability Officer, EMC Corporation). What do they mean?
The new Sustainability Lexicon Project will identify key examples of emerging language and provide comprehensive definitions. The project will include data from interviews with 30-40 thought leaders in the fields of sustainability and corporate responsibility, who have flagged these as essential terms to understand. According to project leader Deborah Leipziger, the project will feature a Lexicon website with a wiki which will allow for crowd-sourcing of the definitions. The Lexicon will be an evolving and living document. Ms. Leipziger is the author of several CR books, a corporate responsibility advisor, and provided definitions for the CSR Dictionary, published by Wiley in 2007. OneReport will help support this project as a founding partner. |
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New CDP Initiative Requests that Companies Move Beyond Reporting to Action on Climate Change
Thirty-four institutional investors partner with CDP Carbon Action to ask companies in FTSE Global Equity Index to demonstrate that they are managing carbon emissions effectively.
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SEC is Urged to Issue Regulations Mandating Reporting on ESG Issues by Extractive Industries
Oxfam America and Calvert support strong regulation on disclosure by companies in extractive industries of payments to governments.
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Investors Urge Congress to Let EPA Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions
As the Agency's authority to regulate emissions comes under attack, sustainable investors argue that inconsistent climate policies are already damaging the US economy.
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ICCR Publishes 2011 Proxy Resolutions Book
The mid-season review of shareowner resolutions filed by ICCR members includes the full text of 159 resolutions addressing environmental, social, and corporate governance issues.
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More News
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OneReport Launches New Resource Tool: Resource Point |
With the launching of the new OneReport® Resource Point, public companies can access the corporate responsibility metrics sought by leading investment research/ratings firms and frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). This service was developed as an alternative for companies that do not need an information management and direct reporting tool, but may benefit from monitoring the evolving issues and information needs of the research and ratings community. Other OneReport clients may access these resources as part of their subscription.
Resource Point identifies commonalities in requested data among research/ratings and frameworks, which companies can consider in developing key performance indicators (KPI), as well as “what-if” reporting scenarios for deciding to which firms to respond. On an ad hoc basis, OneReport can also “map” this information for planning and to avoid duplicative handling of information requests.
Users may create customized PDFs of the metrics and information requested by research/ratings and frameworks, which can include guidance notes outlining nuances among different research/ratings and framework expectations, term definitions, and links to other resources and protocols. View an overview or contact us for more information.
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OneReport Staff Update:
Mark Thomsen has rejoined the OneReport team as Director of Business Development. Mark worked at SRI World Group between 2000-2007 and left his position as Products Director to return to school full time to get an MBA. Mark now works with clients and potential clients to address their business objectives. Call him at 802-275-5189 to learn more about OneReport services.
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OneReport Updates
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Multiple reporting year functionality:
Enables each company to begin reporting next year’s data on their schedule based on their fiscal year and reporting timing, edit/correct information in a prior reporting year and to make changes to the current reporting year without affecting your history (such as managing inactive users and your Reference Library).
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Newsweek Green Rankings and FTSE4Good integration:
Helps companies more readily identify the metrics that are used by KLD (now MSCI) to create the annual Newsweek Green Rankings list. The relevant metrics are now flagged in OneReport and can be completed and released to KLD. Likewise, the subset of EIRIS indicators relevant for the FTSE4Good may be accessed in isolation or within the broader set of EIRIS data requests.
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Carbon Disclosure Project questionnaire integration:
Provides reporting companies with the ability to prepare their CDP2010 Investor Request and CDP Water Disclosure for input into the Carbon Disclosure Project’s Online Response System (ORS) or to incorporate the data within OneReport for other reporting purposes.
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Jantzi-Sustainalytics:
OneReport now fully reflects the metrics of Jantzi-Sustainalytics and their global coverage. |
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Data Transfers/Mapping Work Available:
Reporting companies may use OneReport data transfer services for research firms/frameworks that may not be integrated into OneReport. Alternately, OneReport staff can also identify or map information requested from other sources to “data requests” that exist within OneReport.
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GRI Updates
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GRI Organizational Stakeholders
SRI World Group/OneReport became an Organizational Stakeholder (OS) of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to reflect our ongoing support of the work of the GRI. |
GRI Certification
OneReport has applied for GRI certification as a software provider that incorporates the Global Reporting Initiative, the leading sustainability reporting framework. |
Next Generation GRI Framework
The OneReport team plans to incorporate the G3.1 Guidelines within OneReport later in 2011. Timing details, as well as whether we will make both guidelines available simultaneously or simply migrate to the new version, will be decided in consultation with OneReport clients.
The GRI has also announced plans to start the G4 framework development process, slated to be finalized late in 2012. OneReport will incorporate and reflect these changes once finalized. |
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