Sustainability reporting across Europe

The European Sustainability Reporting Association (ESRA) has launched a website that allows users to compare sustainability reporting across European countries.

ESRA wants to ensure the maximum number of organisations are producing reports on their impacts on the environment and society. Experts from each of the countries involved has produced summaries of their sustainability reporting.

Chair of ESRA, Helle Bank Jørgensen said: "There is clearly a greater global demand for greater transparency from companies and for the publication of externally assured reports. Sustainability reporting can be incorporated in the annual report, as a separate sustainability report or as a web-based production. Next year, we expect even more reporters and more focus on climate change and stakeholder dialogue."

CEO of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Ernst Ligteringen said: "In 2007, sustainability reporting continued to move into the mainstream: the G8 declared its support for the concept of sustainability reporting and the number of companies issuing reports continued to rise following the release of the GRI G3 Guidelines. The ESRA project is of great benefit in aiding the understanding of trends across Europe at this exciting time in the evolution of sustainability reporting."