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August 17, 2000
Swedish Internet Tool Promotes Sustainability
A tool being developed by Global Responsibility will allow companies to report on their
sustainability policies and practices for all stakeholders.
SocialFunds.com --
The global economy is placing new standards for corporate social responsibility and accountability
on companies around the world, heralded by a profusion of global codes of conduct. A Swedish
company is bringing corporate reporting on environmental and social issues to a new level of
transparency, by providing Internet access to standardized reports and databases for all
stakeholders.
 Global Responsibility Scandinavia AG, a
Sweden-based Internet company, is working to promote corporate social responsibility and
sustainable patterns of production & consumption through cost effective reporting and dialogue. The
company is presenting their new product in development, the Sustainability Communication Platform
(SCP), at the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany, and expects to launch the tool in November.
"Public access to information regarding various aspects of corporate performance is a major
factor in the current drive for corporate responsibility and accountability," said Domingo
Jiminéz-Beltran, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency (EEA). An international
agency designed to provide information on environmental sustainability to policymakers and the
public, the EEA has provided support for the launch of the SCP.
The SCP concept was
developed by researchers at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
(IIIEE) at Lund University, Sweden. The SCP provides a format for reporting on company policies,
practices, and performance data regarding sustainability, using a format that is flexible enough to
be used by companies and organizations in different sectors and of all sizes.
Rather
than reinventing the wheel, the SCP builds on the experiences and achievements of initiatives such
as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), launched by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible
Economies (CERES). The flexibility of the SCP format will allow the incorporation of these data
into a consistent and cost-effective reporting vehicle that will allow comparisons between
companies.
"The costs involved with printing an annual environmental report far outweighed
the benefits for our company," said Rolf Henriksson, Environmental Controller for Sydkraft, a
Swedish power company. "If we had not found the SCP, a more cost-effective communication tool, we
would have been forced to discontinue our environmental reporting."
But the
Sustainability Communication Platform will go beyond reporting to provide a forum for meaningful
stakeholder dialogue on corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues. This tool will
give a new voice to all stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, consumers, and community
members, and a level of transparency never attempted before.
"The other main benefit of
SCP for our company," continued Henriksson, "is the ability to respond to the needs and preferences
of a multitude of stakeholder groups, get feedback on how these different groups use the
information provided and interact with all of them - at a very low cost and without first having to
identify all stakeholder groups and their needs in detail."
In addition to Sydkraft,
other pioneering companies participating in the launch of SCP include Volvo (owned by Ford Motor),
Sony International Europe, ITT Flygt, a Swedish water pump manufacturer, and Novo Nordisk, the
Danish pharmaceutical company. The SCP has also been developed in partnership with Deloitte &
Touche and KPMG, two leading business consultants, who will audit company information to assure its
quality and credibility.
Of course many more companies have not participated in the SCP
launch, some of them suggesting that their environmental reporting efforts are already accessible
enough. But the handful of companies participating in the launch belies the powerful possibilities
of the SCP, which in time could become an international clearinghouse for corporate responsibility
data.
"A sustainable, more equitable world will only emerge if sound information is
provided in a transparent, interactive, and participatory spirit to all who seek it, while issues
and conflicts are resolved through continuous stakeholder dialogue," said Jiminéz-Beltran of the
European Environment Agency. "The Sustainability Communication Platform has the necessary
components to progress towards these goals and the EEA is proud to have been instrumental in
launching this initiative."
©
SRI World Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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