Key Report
Features
Sample Report
sustainability report resources
before diving into sustainability planning and reporting, it is helpful to look at the following examples of reporting frameworks relevant to the electrical industry.
>>the Global Reporting Initiative provides a trusted and credible framework for sustainability reporting applicable to a wide range of organizations.
>>southwire, a leading wire and cable manufacturer, publishes the company’s sustainability reports on their website.
>>osraM sylVania devotes a page of its company website to their sustainability efforts. this page also provides a link to their corporate sustainability report.
For more examples, see CorporateRegister.com, a searchable database of
Overview
A keystone of any sustainability initiative is the sustainability report. Not only does a report help your company promote the good work that you are doing, but it also assists with sustainability planning.
Sustainability reports are typically published once a year or once every two years. At the end of the reporting period, factual data from NAED’s Sustainability
Performance Management Tools1 can be
incorporated into the report.
This sample plan can help get you started. Start with the major headings and
subheadings, adding interim achievements
and progress toward sustainability goals.2
By drafting a mock up of the sustainability report early in the process, staff will have a tool to capture lessons learned as well as manage the data.
The inished report will showcase the
achievement of sustainability goals and current year-end statistics. Tailored to your target audiences, your sustainability report will be a powerful statement of your goals and commitments.
title page
table of contents
letter from the ceo
executive summary
In a successful report,
it’s important to communicate goals, corporate vision, and demonstrate company progress on sustainability initiatives. this sample report document provides a framework for you to use in creating a sustainability report for your own company.
s a m p l e R e p O R t
GE Citizenship
Report 2007– 2008
Investing a
nd Deliveri
ng
in Citizenship
RepORt COnsIdeRatIOns
>>Consider whether or not the inal
report needs to be printed; often an electronic version will sufice.
>>if print copies are desirable,
consider using soy-based inks and paper with post-consumer recycled content. Most printers can accommodate these requests quite easily.
>>the format of the report, print or
electronic, should be tailored to the targeted audience.
2 0 0 8 S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y R E P OR T
title page
Include:
Company Name
Logo
Sustainability Report Title
Date of Publication
Make the most
of your ener
gy
™
Busines s and Sust
ainable D evelopmen
s a m p l e R e p O R t
For Example
you can choose to use a formal table of contents like schneider electric to the right or a more informal approach like southwire’s below.
table of Contents
The table of contents not only helps readers ind their way through your sustainability
report, but it is also a helpful planning tool for your sustainability initiative. Be sure to include major section headings and key subheadings with page numbers, including
as much detail as its your company. Also, think about the tone you’d like to set in the report, and then create your table of contents to relect your company’s culture with
either formal details or a casual approach.
Contents
SOUTHWIRE’S VISION
3
CEO’S MESSAGE
4
BUILDING WORTH
5
GROWING GREEN
7
LIVING WELL
19
GIVING BACK
27
DOING RIGHT
35
s a m p l e R e p O R t
letter from the CeO
Many sustainability reports begin with a letter from the CEO or President of the organization. Senior management support of sustainability initiatives within their
organizations is crucial. This letter clearly indicates executive leadership’s support of the
sustainability initiatives and measurements outlined in the report.
The letter can be formal or casual, depending on the overall tone and content of the report. Most reports contain a letter from the CEO, but the letter can also represent the Board of Directors. This letter should convey the motivation behind sustainability to help readers
discover the reasons behind a company’s decision to undertake sustainability planning
and reporting.
For Example
these messages from the
sustainability reports of southwire and Ge convey each company’s central sustainability message—that it drives every aspect of business.
SOUTHWIRE 2008 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT | 4
“ Setting sustainability goals that are ambitious, but achievable, is challenging. We’re not there, but we’re closer than we were a year ago.”
Stu Thorn
Southwire President and CEO
You may expect that a company’s sustainability report will only be about the
environment. In fact, the environmental section of our report is its longest section. Quite frankly, that is because we still have much to do. But sustainability means more than just growing green. John Elkington, one of the founders
of the sustainability
movement, writes about the triple bottom line: planet, people and profit. We address the triple bottom line and ethics under the he
adings: BUILDING
WORTH, GROWING GREEN, LIVING WELL, GIVING BACK and DOING RIGHT.
Setting sustainability goals that are ambitious, but achievable, is challenging. We’re
not there, but we’re closer than we were a year ago.
Roy Richards, Sr., our company’s founder, was a man of vision. He understood the bond between his company and society. His children, who now
own the company,
share that same belief. Years before the word sustainability came into vogue, Mr. Richards knew building a company for the long haul meant more
than making money.
Obviously, profits are necessary for any business to survive. But, the Richards family and Southwire’s employees believe success also is measured
in how a company
positively impacts people’s lives.
As we look to the future, we have much to learn. We are m ore aware than ever
of our impact on those whose lives we touch. It is now our challenge to translate that awareness into action – into concrete programs aimed atBUILDING WORTH,
GROWING GREEN, LIVING WELL, GIVI
NG BACK and DOING RIGHT.
Our sustainability efforts are a work in progress. Every journey starts with a first step. We feel good that our journey is well underway. Thank you for
your interest in our
company and our legacy.
A Message From
SOUTHWIRE’S CEO
SOUTHWIRE HAS ENJOYED 57 YEARS OF REMARKABLE SUCCESS AS A FAMILY COMPANY, PLAYING A CRITICAL ROLE IN DELIVERING POWER TO PEOPLE THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICA AND BEYOND. WE PLAN TO SUST
AIN
OUR SUCCESS FOR FUTURE GENERA
TIONS BY BUILDING
WORTH, GROWING GREEN, LIVING WELL, GIVING BACK AND DOING RIGHT. THAT’S OUR SUST
AINABILITY
VISION – HOW WE PROPOSE TO CONTINUE DELIVERING POWER RESPONSIBLY TO ALL WHO DEPEND ON US.
Sincerely,
Did you know?
One-third of the irms surveyedfor the economist Intelligence
Unit study place responsibility for sustainability performance directly
with the CeO; another 26% place it
with the board.2
a letter from jeff immelt
Dear friends,
For 130 years, GE has demonstrated that we can nimbly
adapt to our customers’ needs — and those of the
world.
This ability to evolve and grow has strengthened the Company over time, and it defines GE today.
Progress in the global marketp
lace suggests potentially massive future growth for GE. Yet it also demands we play a changing r
ole: shifts in demographics, gr
owth in emerging markets, the emerging reality of climate change and oth
er issues are business opportunities that must be joined with pr
ogressive societal policy changes. They are opportunities for GE to be gr
eat — as well as good. This 2007 Citizenship Report illustrates how we actively expand our role in the world. We are broadening partnerships with governments — some which are major GE customers
— and joining with suppliers, non-governmental organizations, academics and local concerns to jointly tackle some of the world’s toughest problems. This activity is r
eflected in this report’s introduction of GE’s new water conservation goals, as well as information on our implementation of a S
tatement of Principles on Human Rights. We also continue to design new, leading-edge technology specifically for emerging markets like China and India. We deploy more than a century of experience and governance exper
tise
to encourage a more widespread recognition of the rule of la w. And where GE and its employees can make a real, fundamental difference in those communities where we work and live, we don’t just talk — we do.
We recognize that opportunities for growth bring real social responsibility challenges. When society changes, business mu st be proactive in changing along with it. We are doing so, moving beyond dialogue to action. This r
eport details how.
Jeffrey R. Immelt
Executive Summary
For More Info...
on making the business case and expressing the vision, see naeD’s Little Green Book of Corporate Sustainability.
Recommended Elements:
Vision
The vision summarizes what the organization’s deinition of sustainability is and what a sustainable version of the organization will look like. Deining this vision is the irst step toward sustainability.
Beneits / Business Case
This section should also outline the business case to stakeholders. Listing the
beneits an organization accrues from sustainability initiatives justiies the
investment and upfront costs for planning and implementing sustainability.
Achievements
Finally, summarize notable achievements accomplished within the past year. Doing so previews achievement highlights detailed in the Initiatives and Accounting sections.
Barriers and Responses
Summarizing barriers to sustainability initiatives is also helpful because it conveys transparency and accountability while also presenting a learning opportunity.
RepORt tIp: pROvInG the
BusIness Case
>>include detailed information
like budget igures and the timeframe for planning and implementing sustainability initiatives.
>>these details give readers a
better sense of what it takes to accomplish sustainability goals.
For Example
Ge’s citizenship report covers its sustainability initiatives and how it impacts each of its main business sectors.
GE has invested in a portfolio of six leadership businesses that give us the scale and breadth of capabilities to deliver on the essential themes of t
omorrow.
GE Commercial Finance offers an array of services and products aimed at enabling businesses worldwide to gr ow. GE Commercial Finance provides loans, operating leases, financing programs, and other services.
GE Infrastructure is one of the world’s leading providers of essential technologies to developed and emerging countries, including aviation, energy, oil and gas, transportation, and water-process technologies and services. GE Infrastructure also provides financing ser
vices to aviation, energy, and transpor
NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading Relevance/Materiality
1. Prioritize issues influencing stakeholder decisions 2. Prioritize issues influencing
business success
REPORTING PRINCIPLES
Inclusiveness Issues raised by stakeholders
Sustainability context Global social and environmental challenges
Completeness GE’s worldwide operations and six businesses
Printed Report & Web Site
energy & climate change
demographics CITIZENSHIP MATRIX
high Energy Demand &
Development
GE’s approach to citizenship is a full-time commitment
with the same goals, strategies, and accountabilities that drive business.
To take on tough challenges in our communities, GE applies its long-standing spirit of innovation and unique set of capabilities in tandem with our responsible leadership and system of operational excellence.
GE believes the future will be shaped by six essential business themes as set out in our 2007 Annual Report: a massive investment in infrastructure technology, the rise of emerging markets, a demand for environmental solutions, expanding aging demo-graphics, the transforming power of digital connections, and opportunities in origination. Changing demographics over the coming years, for example, will drive the need for new healthcare solutions along with the need for reliable infrastructure, from roads to clean water. At the same time, the pace of technical innovation, government regulation and digital connections will accelerate, especially in emerging markets.
Given our outlook on the future, this year’s citizenship report reviews GE’s citizenship from the perspective of four key themes — Energy and Climate Change, Demographics, Growth Markets, and Financial Markets. These themes correlate with five of the six business themes/trends discussed in the 2007 GE Annual Report: Environmental Solutions, Demographics, Emerging Markets, and
Origination, as well as discussions related to another business theme identified in the Annual Report — Infrastructure Technology. These thematic discussions are preceded by a section on GE’s Operational Excellence.
The Performance section that completes this report presents data points, activities, and progress made on issues that support GE’s commitment to the themes that drive our business strategy.
The themes and issues we highlight have an impact on GE’s overall business and on our citizenship priorities. Our report is for the benefit of all stakeholders, but most importantly, for our employees, because it is our people who make a difference through what they do every day. It is our hope, also, that this report continues to spark the increasing dialogue about citizenship issues. For what is responsible citizenship if not a dialogue on the most complex issues?
In the process, we look for having constructive discussions, and will adapt as necessary based on what we learn. Through collaboration on developing solutions, GE can work toward improving the quality of life for citizens, our employees and our investors.
To contact GE, please see the “Contact Information” section on the inside back cover of this report.
s a m p l e R e p O R t
Initiatives
Recommended Elements:
List the initiatives pursued in the last year
Greening the supply chain is an essential sustainability initiative for electrical manufacturers and distributors. The initiative section offers a detailed list of the strategic sustainability initiatives that the company chose to implement.
Describe why initiatives were chosen
In addition, this section provides the narrative behind how strategic initiatives were chosen and what they will accomplish. This is different from the Accounting section, which provides detailed measurements behind environmental impact reductions.
Illustrate how initiatives developed over the past year
Explain how the initiatives included in the report were chosen and developed over the course of the past year. Be sure to include details like timelines and the amount of money budgeted for each initiative. To make the initiative transparent, some organizations identify the various departments and/or staff persons responsible for carrying out these responsibilities. Finally, summarize what has been achieved through current initiatives. Inevitably, obstacles present themselves when companies unveil and roll-out major initiatives. Discuss risk management planning because readers will want to know what processes were implemented to plan for unforeseen “roadblocks,” plus how the company overcame the obstacles it encountered.
Share achievements
Use this section to demonstrate how the company’s sustainability initiatives reduce the company’s environmental impacts and offer customers more sustainable products
and services.
Did you know?
OSRAM SYLVANIA’s Sustainability Report features sustainable products and/or services the company provides,along with demonstrated facts and
igures about how select items it into the company’s overall sustainability
initiatives.
For More Info...
>> see naeD’s Little Green Book
of Corporate Sustainability for choosing initiatives to pursue.
>> refer to naeD’s Best Practices
Case Study Series (Green
Warehouses and lamp recycling) for examples of sustainable strategic initiatives.
>> see naeD’s Case Study Series
(sustainable purchasing) and naeD’s Little Green Book of Corporate Sustainability for greening the supply chain.
For Example
Hagemeyer’s Green catalog is a good example of greening the supply chain; the company has speciically chosen products that will help their customers reduce energy use and become
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Accounting
Recommended Elements:
Impacts
This section describes the company’s primary environmental impacts.
Tools
Be sure to detail how your company reduced these impacts and the tools or metrics used to measure reductions.
Goals
This section should outline the goals selected to reduce environmental impacts. Many companies establish a baseline and reduction goals and report progress. The nature of environmental impacts largely determines the goals a company strives to achieve within a given time frame. For instance, reducing solid waste might take longer than reducing energy use, or vice-versa. A business might have limited recycling options,
but most businesses have numerous options for increasing energy eficiency. Some
goals require capital investments that are part of an annual budget cycle. Reducing
carbon emissions is an increasingly important goal for many organizations. The
Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is a tool for measuring carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Progress made in the past year
Many companies establish a baseline and outline goals to reduce environmental impacts, then they follow up by reporting progress made towards achieving those goals over the past year. (Most companies establish annual baseline impacts.)
For More Info...
>> on sustainability tools and
metrics, see naeD’s Sustainability Performance Management Tools on teDGreenroom.com.
>> on how architectural area lighting
(a Hubbell lighting, inc. brand) achieved carbon neutrality using the GHG protocol, see naeD’s Hubbell Lighting Case Study.
For Example
southwire’s 2008 sustainability report shows how to establish baselines and make progress toward reduction goals. the report lays out several environmental impacts, such as landill waste, carbon dioxide emissions, and water consumption. the company irst established a baseline for each area. then, southwire measured these impacts over a speciied period of time.
southwire also established the following goals:
>> Achieve zero landill status by 2017
Speciic Goals
Achieve zero landfill status by 2017
Eliminate lead additives from all Southwire products by 2010
Reduce carbon footprint 10% by 2010
Reduce water consumption 15% by 2010
Improve contract carrier freight fuel mileage 10% by 2010
Improve company fleet mileage 25% by 2010
Southwire is
GROWING GREEN
DURING THIS PERIOD OF ROBUST GROWTH, WE HA VE
BECOME INCREASINGL
Y AWARE OF THE IMPACT OUR PROCESSES, PRODUCTS AND F
ACILITIES CAN HAVE ON THE ENVIRONMENT. TO TRY TO PREVENT POTENTIAL
NEGATIVE IMPACTS FROM BECOMING ACTUAL NEGA TIVE
IMPACTS, SOUTHWIRE OPERA
TES WITH A PHILOSOPHY OF GROWING GREEN.
Our mission is ambitious. We intend to
shrink our environmental footprint even as
we grow our business. A set of aggressive
goals will guide our efforts and help us
cut waste, conserve energy and water
and develop products and processes that are
efficient and environmentally friendly .
LEARNING FROM OUR MIST AKES
Our commitment to growing green
arose from our discovery of
serious environmental
problems at several of our
facilities. That discovery prompted
a strategic review of
our practices and led to three important outcomes:
• We exited the copper smelting busine ss.
• We promised to address th
e environmental issues ass
ociated with copper
smelting candidly and ag gressively.
• We promised to commit
our company to environ
mental sustainability
by growing green.
So began a major restructuring
of our business that included selling or closing
smelting operations and several other
businesses that were not core to making wire
the way we communicate
s a m p l e R e p O R t
Planet and Society
Barometers: 10 Indicators
2008 performance (out of 10)
Employees
> Reduce the number of lost days from work accidents by 20% per employee and per year.
> Ensure that all employees have basic health insurance.
> Ensure that 20% of the participants in annual international mobility programmes are women.
Environment
> Ensure that all manufacturing and logistics sites are certified ISO 14001.
> Provide an environmental profile for 120 products.
> Reduce energy consumption per production site employee by 10% (in MWh/year).
Community
> Donate €1 million worth of Schneider Electric equipment.
> Ensure that 90% of our sites have a lasting commitment with the Schneider Electric Foundations in the area of youth opportunities.
Corporate governance
> Make 60% of total purchases from suppliers who support the Global Compact.
> Ensure that Schneider Electric is included in the four major socially responsible investment index families.
Overall performance as of December 31, 2008 See our Planet and
These elements outline future sustainability plans. List initiatives the company intends to add to its sustainability repertoire.
Accounting
List sustainability accounting tools for future achievements not previously addressed.
U.N. Global and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
Schneider Electric leverages its world-class
competencies in information technology, energy
management, automation, and more to deliver
simplified solutions to its residential and indus trial customers at all levels of energy consumption and conservation. Schneider Electric has the best thinking, strongest assets, and most achievable vision when it comes to the future of Intelligent Energy.
We help individuals and organisations get m ore from their energy with solutions that make their businesses
more productive and sustainable. Our broad p
ortfolio of activities in efficiency management makes e
nergy:
> Safe, with power and control
> Reliable, with critical power and
cooling services
> Efficient, with energy efficiency
> Productive
, with industrial, building, and home automation
> Green, connecting renewable e
nergy sources with ease, reliability, and cost-effectiveness
Schneider Electric has observed that the Efficiency Imperative has four distinct areas of opportu
nity, each with specific obstacles. Generation is h
obbled by CO2 emissions, capacity c
onstraints, and low adoption of renewables. Transmission is constrained by capacity, inefficiency, and political issues. Factories, buildings, and data centres have c
apacity constraints, efficiency losses from poor system design, and lack of standardisation as key b
arriers. Point-of-use lacks efficiency, manageability, and communications with the grid.
Schneider Electric has studied this landscape and decided to participate from Plant to Plug. The company’s focus is not on generation or high voltage, as solving e
nergy issues there does not necessarily solve inefficiencies downstream. Conversely, any progress made in point-of-use has a three-time benefit upstream. Therefore, Schneider Electric believes in optimising its efforts from components through solutions.
We help you make the
most of your energy
™Only Schneider Electric can provide pervasive and comprehensive eficiency management expertise from Plant to Plug.™
We have 10 years to ix four critical problems:
Point of Use
Energy & infrastructure, industry, data centres & networks, buildings & residential
Generation & transmission
For Example
Alliance to Save Energy (ASE)
The Alliance to Save Energy is a nonprofit
International Dark-Sky Association
The International Dark-Sky
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA)
The Energy and Environmental Design Award of Excellence, sponsored by OSRAM SYLVANIA, recognizes quality lighting installations in commer-cial and industrial buildings that incorporate advanced energy-saving strategies and environmentally responsible solutions into the overall design.
National and international members of the IESNA submit projects to a panel of judges for sectional, regional and international review and recognition. Awards are given to projects that address design complexity, employ unique lighting design, and incorporate energy efficient strategies and key elements of sustainability.
We’re proud to be ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year. Again.
ENERGY STAR is a government-backed program that helps businesses and individuals save money and protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.
For the third year in a row, OSRAM SYLVANIA is proud to have been selected as the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in recognition of our energy-efficient lighting. We offer more than 20 different compact fluorescent products bearing the ENERGY STAR label, including our new Daylight Extra®series.
When it comes to creating a sustainable future, we’re all in it together. No company can go it alone, and at OSRAM SYLVANIA our commitment to energy efficiency and the environment includes active participation in programs, organizations, and standards-setting groups who share our goals and values.
We’re proud of our sustainability partnerships, some of which include:
Alliance to Save Energywww.ase.org
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)www.ansi.org
International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) www.darksky.org
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) www.iesna.org
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) www.iso.org
Lighting Research Center (LRC)www.lrc.rpi.edu
Lighting Research Office (LRO) www.lightingresearchoffice.org
National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) www.nema.org
National Lighting Bureau www.nlb.org
TFM Green Buildings Advisory Group www.facilitycity.com/tfm
United States EPA & DOE Energy Star®Programwww.energystar.gov United States Green Building Council (USGBC)www.usgbc.org
Conclusion
This section summarizes the company’s signiicant sustainability achievements and beneits. A company proile, including governance structure, divisions, product line,
locations, and contact information, may be useful here. In addition, use this section to
reiterate the company’s identity, vision of sustainability, plans to implement that vision, and overall beneits of going green!
12
Sustainability is a
team effort.
For Example
in the concluding pages of its sustainability report, osraM sylVania reiterates its vision of sustainability and connected initiatives.
Speciically, the report:
>> Identiies the
organizations it
partners with to achieve sustainability in its corporate practices
>> Features one of the
programs it implements to recognize business practices incorporating energy-saving strategies and environmentally responsible solutions
>> Highlights instances
s a m p l e R e p O R t
endnotes
1 NAED’s Sustainability Performance Management Tools are another component of NAED’s Corporate
Sustainability Planning educational program, available at TEDGreenRoom.com.
2 Darcy Hitchcock & Marsha Willard, “The Step-by-Step Guide to Sustainability Planning,” Earthscan,
2008.
3 Kielstra, Paul. Doing Good: Business and the Sustainability Challenge. The Economist Intelligence Unit,
February 2008.
Additional NAED Inside Going Green Corporate
Sustainability Tools at TEDGreenroom.com:
Little Green Book of Corporate Sustainability
Sustainability Best Practices Case Study Series
Greening Warehouse Facilities
Hubbell and AAL Lighting the Way
Lamp Recycling Services
Southwire: Implementing Sustainability Vision
Sustainable Purchasing Programs
Sustainability Performance Management Tools
Copyright © 2009 NAED Education & Research Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.
This Sustainability Sample Report has been made possible through the generosity of the
electrical distributor and manufacturer members of the NAED Foundation’s Channel
