Sustainability reporting is a process that assists organizations in setting goals, measuring performance and managing change towards a sustainable global economy – one that combines long term profitability with social responsibility and environmental care. Sustainability reporting – mainly through but not limited to a sustainability report – is the key platform for communicating the organization’s economic, environmental, social and governance performance, reflecting positive and negative impacts.

The Aspects that the organization deems to be material, in response to its stakeholders’ expectations and interests, drive sustainability reporting. Stakeholders can include those who are invested in in the organization as well as those who have other relationships with the organization.

Integrated reporting is an emerging and evolving trend in corporate reporting, which in general aims primarily to offer an organization’s providers of financial capital with an integrated representation of the key factors that are material to its present and future value creation.

Integrated reporters build on sustainability reporting foundations and disclosures in preparing their integrated report. Through
the integrated report, an organization provides a concise communication about how its strategy, governance, performance and prospects lead to the creation of value over time. Therefore, the integrated report is not intended to be an extract of the traditional annual report nor a combination of the annual financial statements and the sustainability report. However, the integrated report interacts with other reports and communications by making reference to additional detailed information that is provided separately.

Although the objectives of sustainability reporting and integrated reporting may be different, sustainability reporting is an intrinsic element of integrated reporting. Sustainability reporting considers the relevance of sustainability to an organization and also addresses sustainability priorities and key topics, focusing on the impact of sustainability trends, risks and opportunities on the long term prospects and financial performance of the organization. Sustainability reporting is fundamental to an organization’s integrated thinking and reporting process in providing input into the organization’s identification of its material issues, its strategic objectives, and the assessment of its ability to achieve those objectives and create value over time.

Extract from GRI-G4 Reporting principles and standard disclosures.  For more information on how to compile your report visit the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) website on www.globalreporting.org