Building the commitment

Both external and internal drivers are behind the development of a sustainable development report. As a result of these forces, a company can identify its own business case for sustainable development and for reporting.

Yet, just embracing the general concept of sustainable development is not enough. A company should first appraise its situation, determine its strategic objectives, define its stakeholders, and clarify its vision and values. Based on this, it can then define its own business case for sustainable development.

A company’s commitment to sustainable development will not be effective unless it is made operational. In order for this to happen, top management has to communicate its commitment internally and externally. Without top-level commitment, the risk increases that sustainability concerns will not be fully integrated into the daily operations of a company.

Internally, this often means developing incentives to get business managers and employees involved in the issues. In that case, sustainable development performance needs to be integrated into the overall management reward system. Externally, a sustainable development report is an important tool to provide a periodic status report on achievements.

How to express the commitment

Different companies express their commitment to sustainable development in different ways. This commitment can be integrated into an organization through:

• Senior management decisions, statements and leadership styles
• Business ideas, business models, overall business objectives and strategies
• Policy documents
• Management systems
• Training programs

This commitment should be articulated in some of the company’s key documents, such as:

• Corporate values (ethics, values and principles)
• Management and business principles
• Codes of conduct, pledges and charters

The public commitment by senior management is important to drive sustainable development throughout the company. Leadership helps to steer strategies and policies to meet this commitment and is crucial for transforming commitment into action.