Sustainability reporting: a business strategy
Student name: Mr Sanchit Chawla
Guide: Ms Annapurna Vancheswaran
Year of completion: 2011
Host Organisation: TERI BCSD India
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Pratik Ghosh
Abstract: Sustainability reporting is the practice of informing the stakeholders of the company about the social,
environmental and economic performance of company. An increasing trend towards sustainability reporting is
an indicator of its wider acceptance globally. It informs shareholders about the key risks and challenges for an
organisation and its approach towards managing it. The project was undertaken to understand the importance
of sustainability reporting as perceived by companies. Two companies each from oil & gas and cement sector
was selected for the survey. These companies are following GRI guidelines of sustainability reporting.
Respondents include senior executives responsible for reporting practice in the organisation. For these
companies, the driving force for sustainability reporting was enhancing the corporate image of the
organisation. Companies believe that reporting motivates their organisation to move towards sustainable
development. Sustainability reports demonstrate a link between business strategy and sustainability strategy of
company. This link make readers believe in the commitment of the organisation towards sustainability. A
comparative analysis of sustainability reports of multinational and Indian companies shows that Indian
companies has presented their performance towards sustainability in a better way than multinational
companies.
Key words: Sustainability reporting, GRI, corporate image, commitment
