Companies are confronted with growing expectations from their stakeholders regarding their sustainability activities. This includes their active management of all relevant sustainability issues, reporting for communication or rating purposes, as well as meeting the requirements of authorities, for verification and certification.

To respond to these requirements, many companies still struggle with “patchwork reporting”: sustainability information is often found in many different systems addressing different needs, inconsistent figures are communicated in parallel reports, and the information flow and workflow are not efficient, causing unnecessary costs. In the long run, only a very structured and integrated approach, involving all relevant departments, and handling all information in one central information pool, can truly lead to a “sustainable” approach.

The need for an integrated approach is also evident in terms of meeting the numerous codes, frameworks and guidelines, which constitute the formal basis of sustainability activities. Well-known standards are GRI G3, OECD guidelines, AA1000 series or Sarbanes Oxley – but how do companies identify all standards that are relevant and useful to their own needs?

PE has categorised all existing standards with the help of a methodology developed in-house, based on almost 20 years of consulting experience in the sustainability context. The methodology uses a set of distinctive criteria for the classification of standards. It makes it possible to categorise the confusing variety of standards and to transform them into a clearly arranged toolbox, ready for use. From there on, a company-specific “mix of standards” can be defined, to build the formal basis of the sustainability management program. Additionally, workshops and other services are offered to make this a convenient one-stop shop for meeting sustainability expectations and legal requirements.

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